


A New Hero! - Jackson's Journey

by Blackbirds_Fallen_Angel



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga), Yu-Gi-Oh! GX
Genre: North Academy, Other, Yu-Gi-Oh! GX - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-03
Updated: 2020-09-30
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:22:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 26,719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24527575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blackbirds_Fallen_Angel/pseuds/Blackbirds_Fallen_Angel
Summary: It can be rather lonely at the top of the pyramid, not to mention a wee bit uncomfortable.  And when every challenge set before the best of the best is less of a challenge and more of a casual annoyance, boredom is a constant companion.  This is the story of Jackson Corvus, a duelist at North Academy who yearns for a true challenge of his abilities.  Will he find a worthy challenge at North Academy, or will he need to seek out stronger rivals elsewhere?
Comments: 6
Kudos: 5





	1. Assault in the Arctic!! Rise of the Undefeated Dragon Lord!!

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [A New Hero](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/628744) by Arlux1313. 
  * Inspired by [A New Hero](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26350402) by [Arlux1313](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arlux1313/pseuds/Arlux1313). 



> This story is inspired by A New Hero by Arlux1313 on FanFiction.net, and is set within that same universe as that work. I hope you enjoy!

North Academy. Located in the northernmost portion of Alaska just beyond the Arctic Circle, this institution has dedicated itself to training the next generation of Duelists. Prioritizing power and individual strength as a way to further their own goals, students are encouraged, even explicitly told to take every advantage they can in a duel with their peers. There is only way to advance in this school: beat everyone. If a Duelists can't, then they'll stagnate in the lower ranks and will go nowhere as a result. Just about everyone who attended North Academy appreciated the "survival of the fittest" mentality, embracing their own inner do-or-die natures. Everyone but a select few. One of these students was Jackson Corvus.

The young man stepped out of his cabin in the Snow Caps area of North Academy, the most prestigious housing area in the entire complex. As only the top 10% of the best students in North Academy could reside here, the population was already limited, though Jackson would attribute that more to the lackluster average skill level around campus. Jackson's skill put him here. His skill and his Dragons. Ask him, though, and he'll say it was the abysmal skill of everyone else at the academy save for a select few duelists who deserved better.

His black blazer and matching shirt were his customary attire, and his dark blue jeans and boots finished off the look. He looked up into the sky, shielding his crimson eyes from the harsh sun before slipping on a set of amber-tinted aviator sunglasses.

"Great. More snow. You'd think there'd be enough of the stuff around here," Jackson muttered, brushing some fresh powder from his sandy-blond hair as he headed down towards the main area of the Academy. Barely in the middle of his first year at North Academy, Jackson had already defeated everyone there was to beat in the complex, save for the eccentric headmaster of the Academy, Chancellor Foster, though only because the odd old man with an even odder hair style utterly refused to fight his students.

Jackson had celebrated his 17th birthday barely a month earlier, and celebrated the only way he knew how: cooking up a storm of recipes from his native New Orleans and enjoying each one with his three Spirit Partners at his side, Felgrand Dragon, Decoy Dragon, and Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand.

In spite of all his victories, all his triumph, there was one singular word that could epitomize Jackson: boredom. The Undefeated Dragon Champion was, in no uncertain terms, bored out of his mind. If no duelist on the frozen tundra of North Academy could offer a challenge, how was he supposed to improve or even enjoy his victories? But all that was soon to change.

"What? The School Duel?" Jackson asked the one duelist he actually enjoyed dueling. The energetic young man he was talking to nodded emphatically, his southern drawl coming through with each word he spoke.

"Yeah! Duel Academy has issued its yearly challenge, and this year they're picking first-year students! That means you and me could be headlining! I can already see it now! Jesse Anderson, School Duel Champion!"

"Uh, Jess, I think you've been using too much hair dye. If anyone is gonna be School Duel Champion, the odds of it being anyone from this sorry excuse for a school are slim to none." Jackson jabbed his thumb at the local Russian brute, currently in his favored seat. "You'd have better luck seeing Czar out of his rocking chair!"

The two young men laughed, sparking a growl from the muscular Siberian native. "I heard that!"

"You were supposed to, Granny!!" Jackson fired back. Czar sat back down and grumbled, unwilling to press further, knowing that it would inevitably end with a duel against the Undefeated Dragon Champion, and another loss on his own scorecard. 

Jesse grins broadly as the two approach the back half of the campus near their preferred dueling grounds. "Well, you are aware that the format has changed, right? There's still gonna be the standard one v one duel for the school's honor, but they're also gonna have a Tag Duel, followed up by another one on one match. Just guess who's been selected as the tag-team to represent North Academy?"

Jackson skidded to a halt, a small puff of snowy powder kicking up at his feet. "Jess, tell me you're not gonna say what I think you're gonna say…."

Jesse turned to his friend and smiled almost apologetically. "Sorry, bud, but we've been chosen. And don't make any cracks about hair dye. You know full well I'm a natural Blue."

"Jess, you should've told me about this earlier! You know school spirit isn't exactly my thing, especially with this dump. How can I be expected to be a good representative of the so-called power around here when everyone else is barely at the level of a predueler? Present company excluded, Mister Runner-Up." Jack grins, slipping on his Academy Duel Disk and slotting his deck in place.

"Well, if you won't duel for the school, then duel for your pride as the Undefeated Dragon Champion! I mean, that's gotta be worth something, right? Or are you all talk?" Jesse grinned, seeing his minor taunt already making Jackson's eye twitch in annoyance. "Let's consider this match here to be for the top spot on our team? Winner becomes captain, loser buys at the mess hall?"

Jackson smirks and shrugs, holding up his disk as the two Duelists prepare to go to war, their Spirit Partners anxious for the battle to come. "Looks like lunch is on you then."

The two young men grin, shouting simultaneously

**"DUEL!"**

JESSE ANDERSON: 4000 LP

JACKSON CORVUS: 4000 LP

"I'll take the first move, Jack!" Jesse declares, drawing his sixth card and smiling broadly. "Alright! I'll start with this! Come on out, Crystal Beast Amber Mammoth!"

A large Mammoth appeared before Jesse, trumpeting grandly at its own entrance before staring Jackson down from across the field.

Amber Mammoth:  
EARTH / LEVEL 4 / BEAST / 1700 ATK / 1600 DEF

"... What? You're not still mad at me for what happened last time, are you?" Jackson asked the spirit, prompting it to trumpet again in an affirmative. ".... Okay, maybe you are… would a bag of peanuts make up for it?"

Jesse laughs softly before slipping another card into his Disk. "I'll follow up my summon with the spell card Rainbow Bridge! With this, I can search my deck for a 'Crystal' spell or trap! And I'll be going for Crystal Abundance!" Jesse grins and adds the new card to his hand before popping out the Field Zone of his disk and slotting in another card. "Up next, how about a change of scenery? Welcome to the Ancient City - Rainbow Ruins!"

Jackson was grateful for what happened next. The frozen tundra around them began to change, replaced with a Greco-Roman theater, complete with a glorious rainbow arcing across the blue sky above.

"I'll kick out a face down card, and I'll let ya off with that. You're up, Jack!"

 _"Going for your 'Abundant OTK' I see."_ Jackson thinks to himself, grinning as he pulls his sixth card and scans his hand before pulling a card from it and slotting it into his Disk. "I activate Dragon Shrine! With this, I can send one Dragon from my deck to the Graveyard, then, if that Dragon was a Normal Monster, I can send one more! For starters, I'll send the Gemini Monster Darkstorm Dragon to the grave, and since Gemini are treated as Normals in the Graveyard, I can also send Arkbrave Dragon! Next up, I'll be summoning out Dragon Knight of Creation!"

Jackson grinned as a humanoid figure clad in gold armor and sporting a blade large enough to be the fang of an ancient Dragon, the double-edged sword being easily as tall as the knight himself. The knight lept into existence before Jackson, a flowing mane of crimson hair trailing behind him.

Dragon Knight of Creation:   
LIGHT / LEVEL 4 / DRAGON / 1800 ATK / 600 DEF

"Battle! This won't win me any favors here, but Dragon Knight of Creation! ATTACK AMBER MAMMOTH!"

The draconic knight nods and jumps skyward, bringing his sword down on the mammoth beast, cleaving it in two before it shatters into pixels.

JESSE: 4000 LP - 100 = **3900 LP**

As Jesse's LP drops, Jackson smiles and holds his hand out. "Now, since he destroyed a monster in battle and sent it to the Graveyard, Dragon Knight of Creation gets to fire off a neat little skill…"

"Sorry to cut you off there, Jack, but I'm chaining this trap to your monster's effect! Specifically the Trap Card Crystal Pair! With this, when a Crystal Beast on my field is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, I can take a Crystal Beast from my deck and place it in my Spell and Trap Zone as a Continuous Spell. So, I'll go with Topaz Tiger!" Jesse slots the chosen card into his back row, prompting a lustrous yellow topaz ore to appear at Jesse's right hand.

"Well, looks like now I can resolve my effect. Since Dragon Knight of Creation destroyed a monster you control and sent it to the Graveyard, I can send one level seven or eight Dragon from my Deck to my own Graveyard! Darkblaze Dragon, you're who I chose." Jackson sends the selected card to his Graveyard, then takes three cards from his hand and slots them into his Disk. "I'll set three cards, and call it a turn. You're up Jess!"

Jesse nods and draws his top card, glancing at it and grinning even wider as a result. "Alright! I activate Crystal Bond! Now I can add one Crystal Beast from my Deck to my Hand, then another Crystal Beast can go from my Deck right to my Spell and Trap Zone. I'll add up Sapphire Pegasus, and set Cobalt Eagle!" Jesse grinned with a broad self-satisfied smile as a second gemstone ore materialized in front of him, just before a horned Pegasus soared down from the sky, braying proudly as it stomped the ground before it. "I'm sure you two have already met, but say hello to Sapphire Pegasus!"

Sapphire Pegasus:  
WIND / LEVEL 4 / BEAST / 1800 ATK / 1200 DEF

Jackson grins and waves to the mythical beast, the two previously acquainted. The Pegasus bows its head regally, remembering his adversary from previous encounters.

"Since you two already met, I don't think I need to explain his special ability. But just in case you forgot, here's how it goes! When Sapphire Pegasus is Summoned, I can take a Crystal Beast from my Hand, Deck, or Graveyard, and place it in my Spell and Trap Zone as a Continuous Spell! Amber Mammoth, welcome back!" Jesse hollers, slotting the card into his Disk and materializing a caramel-colored Amber ore in his back row. Jesse's grin grows wider as he pulls another Spell Card from his hand. "Up next, don't space out on me, because I'm activating Dark Hole!"

Jackson winced as a singularity spawned in the middle of the field, drawing both Dragon Knight of Creation and Sapphire Pegasus into its depths, only for Sapphire Pegasus to bray loudly and vanish in a beam of light, sending itself to Jesse's Spell and Trap Zone, materializing in the form of a brilliant blue Sapphire ore. Jackson smirked, seeing Jesse's plan laid out before him.

 _'So that's it, huh? Sapphire Pegasus saved himself by jumping into his back row. Now there's four Crystal Beast ores. Pretty clever, Jess.'_ Jackson thought to himself as the singularity faded, leaving Jesse smiling broadly. "But not clever enough!" Jackson roared, smiling as he triggered one of his facedown cards. "In response to Sapphire Pegasus' ability resolving, I activate Oasis of Dragon Souls!"

Jesse's eyes widened, his plan about to crumble before him.

"With Oasis, I can resurrect a monster from my Graveyard in defense mode. ROAR AND TAKE FLIGHT, ARKBRAVE DRAGON!"

Jesse blinked and covered his eyes, letting out a gasp as a burst of light shown behind Jackson. From the brilliant light flew a gold-and-white scaled dragon, roaring its presence and spreading its four wings wide in a show of power.

Arkbrave Dragon:  
LIGHT / LEVEL 7 / DRAGON / 2400 ATK / 2000 DEF

As Arkbrave Dragon hovered behind his duelist he started thrashing his wings harder, kicking up a windstorm in the process.

"Arkbrave Dragon's Special Ability! When he's Special Summoned from the Graveyard, he banishes all face-up Spells and Traps you control, and he gains 200 ATK for each one!"

Jesse paled, deflating at the reality before him. "You mean…"

"Yeah, that means your Crystal Beast collection and Rainbow Ruins aren't going to be around much longer." True to Jackson's word, the four Crystal Beast ores and Rainbow Ruins were soon blown away by the windstorm, and Arkbrave Dragon roared mightily at his newfound power.

Arkbrave Dragon:  
2400 ATK + (200 X 5) = **3400 ATK**

The two young men shivered, suddenly remembering where they were now that the stone amphitheatre and sunny sky had faded away, replaced with North Academy's permafrost and Sub-Zero temperatures. After seeing his entire combo come crashing down, as well as most of his favorite cards, Jesse didn't seem deterred in the slightest. If anything, he seemed even more hyped up.

"Nice little trick there, Jack. But come next turn, you'll be the one on the ropes. I set a card, and end my turn." The second Jackson's turn began, Jesse's facedown card went face-up. "I activate Crystal Cut! By sending a Crystal Beast from my Deck to my Graveyard, I can cut one of your Monster's ATK in half. This'll spare me until next turn, and when that comes, I'll-"

"Sorry to burst your bubble, Jess, but there is no next turn. It ends here. I activate my face-down card! Return of the Dragon Lords!" Jackson's second set card went upright, the Spell Card shining a brilliant blue before turning red and erupting in flames, a column of crimson fire soaring into the sky and materializing into another Dragon, this one nearly identical to Arkbrave Dragon, with the only difference between the two being the black and red scales on the newer dragon.

Darkblaze Dragon:  
FIRE / LEVEL 7 / DRAGON / 1200 ATK / 1000 DEF

"You probably already know, but Return allows me to Special Summon a level 7 or 8 Dragon from the Graveyard. You may remember Darkblaze Dragon from the last time Czar challenged me, the look on his face when I summoned a level 7 monster with 1200 ATK? Remember how surprised he was when… this happened?" Jackson snapped his fingers and Darkblaze Dragon roared powerfully, his body beginning to glow with an iridescent flaming red Aura. "When Darkblaze is Summoned from the Graveyard, his ATK and DEF double."

Darkblaze Dragon:  
1200 ATK / 1000 DEF X 2 = **2400 ATK / 2000 DEF**

"So, like I said, Jess, it's game over. Battle! Arkbrave Dragon and Darkblaze Dragon! Direct Attack!"

The twin dragons roared in unison, unleashing a crimson blaze from their maws that swirled and combined into one single stream of flame, engulfing Jesse in an instant.

Jesse Anderson: 3900 LP - (2400 + 3400) = **0 LP**

A few minutes later, Jackson had helped his friend up off the snowy ground 

"I can't believe you had me scouted that far ahead." Jesse groaned, his hands behind his head as he walked towards the mess hall, prepared to make good on the previous bet. "What, from turn one you knew?"

"Pretty much." Jackson grinned and chuckled. "I mean, you did search it out turn one with Rainbow Bridge. The rest was just waiting for you to commit to it."

Jesse stopped dead in his tracks, staring at Jackson with mouth agape. "You… you baited me. Those three back row cards…" Jesse grinned and punched Jackson's shoulder. "YOU BAITED ME!"

"Hehe, well, I knew you needed at least three of my cards to be destroyed for your combo to work," Jackson replied, rubbing his arm where his friend slugged him. "So I kinda… gave you the three you wanted. Slight advice for next time, though, aim more for monsters than back row to destroy with Abundance. You never know who could have a trap waiting." Jackson smiled, patting Jesse on the back as they headed into the mess hall.

After a lavish meal, begrudgingly paid for by Jesse, Jackson and his friend parted ways for the day. As the two head to their respective cabins in the Snow Caps, Jackson made a detour past the housing area, making his way off campus toward a small wooded area. He pulled out the small scraps of rare beef he'd saved from lunch, unwrapping them from the Loosely wrapped napkin that contained them. 

"Hope y'all are hungry. I've got a special treat for you today…" Jackson spoke softly as he approached a snowy hill that had what appeared to be a hole dug into the side. At the sound of his voice, a small white fox tentatively poked its head out of the hole, soon joined by a couple more young cubs. Jackson smiled, setting the pieces of meat by the opening to the den and took a few steps away, sitting on a nearby rock as the cubs came out and ate the offered snack. The kits were soon joined by a larger fox, clearly female, her snow-white fur smooth and elegant, her motions deliberate. She looked at Jackson with her eyes as blue as pure ice and appeared to nod a thank-you to him, a gesture he returned as she joined her cubs in eating the meal he had brought them.

This small family of foxes had been in Jackson's care for the last two months ever since he saw the skinned body of a male fox less than 20 feet from the den, apparently the father of the family, clearly the victim of poachers. Since then, he'd been doing what he could to earn the trust of the mother, and bringing them food whenever he could. Only Jesse and he knew about this particular family of foxes, and Jackson hoped to keep it that way until the kits could fend for themselves a bit better. As is, the kits couldn't be more than four months old, so that time was soon approaching.

Jackson spent a few minutes with the cubs, watching them play wrestle before heading back into their den with mother in tow before deciding to head back to his cabin. If there was one thing he enjoyed about North Academy, it was its proximity to local wildlife. Little did he know that someone not too far away was watching this same fox family, but for completely different reasons…

* * *

The next day, Jackson made preparations to visit the fox den, including packing several different snacks for himself and for the cubs, ranging from fresh fish to some tundra berries he'd picked up at a local farmer's market in the nearby town of Barrow. As he was just about to leave, there was a kind of panicked animal scratching on his cabin door, which stopped suddenly, and was replaced by a knock. Jackson shrugged on his jacket and answered, seeing Jesse Anderson holding one of the pups.

"Hey Jack! Ain't this one of those fox pups you were looking after? Why's he clawin' at your door?" Jesse asked, cradling the little furball in his arm. The pup looked distressed, and a closer inspection revealed why. Its paws had a small amount of blood on them. 

"Jess, take the pup to Dr. Hesher, then meet me at the fox den. Something isn't right." Jackson rushed off as Jesse took the kit to the local vet. Jackson made his way as fast as he could towards the den, seeing the cub's pawprints in blood as he got closer. Following that trail, Jackson found the source of the blood, a beartrap partially buried in the snow. It seemed to be designed for a much smaller target than a bear, and its proximity to the fox den Jackson was watching over meant only one thing to him.

"Poachers." Jackson spat out the word like it was an insult. A quick scan of the surrounding area proved him right. A set of bootprints in the snow led away from the trap, and slight droplets of blood followed the tracks. He knew that if he followed that trail, he'd find the poachers. 

"Hurry up and get those things loaded. We don't have too much more time here before someone sees us!" A brusk southwestern voice spoke. "Those beasts need to be prepped if the pelts are going to fetch a good price."

"Yes boss!" Another man said, loading a crate into a truck, said crate housing a female Arctic Fox with a badly wounded leg.

The first voice belonged to Giese Hunt, also known as Trapper. He considered himself to be a hunter of the highest caliber, but according to everyone else who met him he was a scoundrel and a ruthless poacher. His dark brown hair was slicked back into spikes, accompanied by blond highlights near his temples. A full goatee completed whatever look he was going for.

The second voice belonged to Geise's lackey Terry Grunt. Of the two, Terry was the only one who dressed for the weather. Where Geise was wearing a dark green full-body jumpsuit and long johns, Terry wore a white parka and snow boots.

Jackson observed the two from a nearby snowbank, just out of sight of the two but not out of earshot. The second he saw the wounded fox being loaded into the truck, he knew he had to act. 

_'Don't do anything rash, partner.'_ A gentle female voice sounded in Jackson's head, a voice he was very familiar with. _'These men may be dangerous. Be careful.'_

"Don't worry, Fel," Jackson told the Spirit of Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand. "I know exactly what I'm doing. Clearly these goons don't, or they would have stayed away from us."

Jackson slowly made his way towards the truck, staying low to the ground to avoid being seen until he hid by the driver's side door. Staying low and using the bed of the pickup for cover, he made his way towards Terry, the goon completely oblivious to his presence, right until he felt a tap on his shoulder. Terry turned with a "huh", only to be met with a stiff elbow to the jaw. Jackson grabbed the stunned man in a headlock and pitched his shoulders downward, slamming the goon's head crown-first into the truck's tailgate. Skull met steel with a satisfying thud, sending the goon into unconsciousness.

Jackson left the goon where he was, letting him slump onto the snow before he turned his attention to the mastermind of the affair. Jackson was just about ready to kick the bastitch's head in, until he saw a belt-mounted deck box attached to the man's hip. Suddenly he had a better idea, one his Spirit Partners agreed with wholeheartedly. Apparently they wanted a piece of this poacher as well, and Jackson wasn't willing to deny them. He smirked, knowing the perfect lure to bring the big boss over as he eyed a nearby stack of empty cages.

Trapper groaned softly, lamenting his lackey's lack of speed in loading his new merchandise in potentia. The sudden sound of crates clanging around as they were knocked over made him flinch slightly, then sigh and roll his eyes. "You just can't buy good help these days," Trapper grumbled as he stomped over toward his truck. "Terry you idiot, tell me you didn't-"

"Sorry, Terry's kinda napping right now. Might even have a minor concussion…" 

Trapper whirled around and searched for the voice that had cut him off, seeing a young man seated atop the cab of his truck with a cocky grin.

"Who the fuck are you and…" Trapper stopped himself short when he saw what was in the kid's right hand. He then noticed that his driver's side window was broken in. "You brat. Is that my apple?"

Jackson grinned and took another bite of the apple in question. "Dunno. Is this piece of crap rust-bucket your truck?" Jackson asked, hitting the side of said truck with the heel of his foot as they dangled over the edge of the cab's roof.

"Yes you stupid kid, now get off!"

"Huh, since this truck's yours, guess that means all these wild animals in cages are yours, too, huh?" Jackson nodded at the array of scared-looking animals in the crates, one of which being the wounded Arctic Fox he was taking care of. "You are aware poaching's illegal, right?"

Trapper glared at the kid and scoffed. "So's breaking and entering, but you don't seem to have a problem with that."

"Nope. I do it just fine," Jackson tossed away the half-eaten apple as he leapt down from the roof of the truck, smirking at the annoyed twitch in Trapper's right eye. "What I do have a problem with is people taking what isn't theirs, especially if what they're taking is the life of an innocent." Jackson turned to face Trapper, watching as the man held his hand over his whip.

"So what are you gonna do about it, Mr. Hero?"

"Simple. Duel me."

"Huh?"

"What, are you as deaf as you are ugly? I saw the deck box on your belt, and I know there's a duel disk in your glove compartment, so duel me. I win, you let the animals go and don't come back. Do, and I'll beat the crap out of you and leave you as a snack for the local coyotes or a random Canadian Lynx. You win, I pretend I never saw you and be on my merry way with nothing more to show for it than a half-eaten Sekai Ichi apple."

Trapper paused at the kid's gaul. Not even slightly expecting this turn of events. "And what makes you think I won't just snap your neck with my whip? Wake up my useless partner, take our spoils, and leave you as a snack for some other beastie that I'll probably catch later on?"

"Simple. Because if that were what you'd do, you'd have done it already. The duelist in you is actually contemplating it, giving you pause, wondering if you really are good enough to take down the best that North Academy has to offer. So, whaddya say, old man? Think you can beat a wise-ass kid? Or do you just wanna crack your overcompensation whip and just kill me now?"

Trapper responded by pushing past Jackson and popping open his passenger side door to pull his duel disk out. "Just for that, I'm gonna curb stomp you before I kill you."

Several minutes later, Jackson and Trapper had moved away from the truck and had enough space for a duel amid the frozen tundra. As the combatants slotted their Decks into their respective Disks, Trapper looked quizzically at his opponent. "Say, kid, why are you doing this, anyway? Why not just run to the cops and spill your guts like a normal brat?"

"First off, call me brat again and you'll be eating a mouthful of permafrost after I shove my boot up your ass. And as for why, well, I'm giving you something that you wouldn't give any of the animals you captured. I'm giving you a fighting chance."

Trapper cocked an eyebrow as he powered on his Disk. "You're one weird kid, you know that?"

Jackson scoffed as he activated his own Disk. "Coming from a guy who's dressed like a bad Steve Irwin cosplay, that doesn't mean very much. Also, it's still too soon, dude. Now enough bullshitting. Let's get this over with."

" **DUEL**!"

GEISE "TRAPPER" HUNT: 4000 LP

JACKSON CORVUS: 4000 LP

"First move's mine, kid! Draw!" Trapper shouted, pulling his sixth card from his deck. "I summon Giant Rat in Defense mode!"

A large bipedal rodent appeared on Trapper's field, crouching with its arms crossed over it's chest. In the rat's left hand was clutched a human skull.

GIANT RAT:  
EARTH / LEVEL 4 / BEAST / 1400 ATK / 1450 DEF

"Up next, I'll toss out a face-down card, and end my turn."

"Huh, the rat kinda looks like you. Just prettier. My move!" Jackson taunts before drawing a card and checking his hand.

 _"Giant Rat…. Well that doesn't give me much about what he's playing. Easily one of the most splashable Death-Searcher/Summoners in Duel Monsters,"_ Jackson thought to himself as he eyed a Monster in his hand. _"Either way, that fat ugly vermin has to go. And Giant Rat, too."_

"I summon Paladin of Felgrand," Jackson roared. Before him lept a regal-looking knight clad in light blue metallic armor and brandishing a matching sword. His golden hair and eyes seemed fixated and determined, and his white cape only added to his air of knightly power.

Paladin of Felgrand:  
LIGHT / LEVEL 4 / WARRIOR / 1700 ATK / 300 DEF

"Now Paladin's special ability kicks off! When he's called to arms, he can call upon the spirit of a level 7 or 8 Dragon from my Deck to aide him! Felgrand Dragon, how about you give our friend a morale boost?" Jackson grinned as he slotted his chosen Dragon into his Spell and Trap zone, resulting in the spectral image of Felgrand Dragon wrapped its wings around its paladin, turning the knight's cape a shimmering gold color. "And this morale boost isn't just cosmetic. Now, my Paladin is immune to your monsters' effects! Battle! Paladin, cleave that rat in two!"

At Jackson's order, the knight jumped into the air, letting out a small roar as he brought his blade down and split the over-sized rodent in half, then back-flipped back into his position on Jackson's field as the rat exploded in a shower of pixels.

In spite of all of this, Trapper apparently couldn't stop smiling. "What do they teach you in that Academy, kid? You just fell for the most basic trick a poacher knows: Bait. See, when Giant Rat is destroyed in battle and sent to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon an EARTH monster with 1500 or less ATK from my deck. So, out with ya, Moja!"

Where Giant Rat had been, a small, black, bean-shaped figure appeared, sporting what appeared to be inverted horns and a large yellow face with big beady black-red eyes.

Moja:  
EARTH / LEVEL 1 / BEAST / 100 ATK / 100 DEF

"Oh crap." Jackson muttered. He'd seen that monster before, and knew exactly what was coming. "I'll set one card face-down, and end my turn." Jackson said, slotting in a card for his back row. _"Awe crap. He's playing THAT strategy. With what I have now, I can't beat that monster. But at least Castle of Dragons Souls can boost a monster by 700 ATK, but I need to Banish a Dragon in my grave first. Let's hope it won't come to that."_

"My move, kid!" Trapper smiled and laughed. "I take it you're familiar with Moja? Judging from your reaction, I'd say so. In that case, you probably knew that this was coming! I tribute Moja to activate the effect of a Monster in my Hand!"

Jackson winced, covering his ears as Moja let out a blood curdling scream. Slowly, the small pill-like beast's mouth spread wider and wider before a large, black, demonically possessed evolved form of the little Moja took its place. The new monster stood at least ten feet off the permafrost, with skeletal legs protruding out from the base of its undulating black form.

King of the Beasts:  
EARTH / LEVEL 7 / 2500 ATK / 800 DEF

"This big lovely is the King of the Beasts. When Moja is on my field and I've got him in my Hand or Graveyard, I can ditch Moja and bring him out. Now, Battle Phase! King of the Beasts, slaughter that Knight! SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST!"

The demonic beast roared and reared its head back, a small black ball appearing at its teeth before it lurched forward and fired a dark beam that engulfed the warrior and melted him away. Jackson covered his eyes, watching as Felgrand Dragon and Paladin of Felgrand were destroyed.

Jackson: 4000 LP - 100 = **3200 LP**

Trapper grins and pulls another card from his hand. "I'll set a card, and end my turn. You sure you're the best North Academy has to offer?"

"Believe me, I wish that wasn't the case. Most of them are as bad at the game as you are, but only half are as ugly. My move!" Jackson winces slightly, not liking what he sees very much. _'It's nothing I can't work with. I've been in tighter spots before…'_ Jackson thought, pulling a monster from his hand and placed it on his Duel Disk. "I summon Golem Dragon in Defense Mode!"

A brown-scaled dragon with large forearms appeared before him, covering its lower face with its stone-like arms and almost daring Trapper to do something.

Golem Dragon:  
EARTH / LEVEL 4 / DRAGON / 200 ATK / 2000 DEF

"Next, I'll be equipping him with Dragon Shield!" Jackson's equip spell metamorphosed his dragon's back, turning it into a hardened, spiked armor tinted black. "Now, my dragon can't be destroyed by battle or card effects! To round things out, I'll set a face-down of my own. Your move!"

Trapper grinned darkly, looking at the card he just drew and knowing it spelled the end for the brat he faced. Before he could make a single move, Jesse sprinted towards the two, having followed Jackson's footsteps.

"JACK! There y'are! I told Headmaster Foster about the traps near the fox den. He said the cops should be here soon! Who's tall, dark n' creepy?"

Jackson opened his mouth to answer, only for Trapper to turn tail and run. Jackson, however, would have none of that, giving chase immediately while shouting over his shoulder at Jesse to guard the animals in Trapper's truck. Neither men made it too far, though, both failing to notice the sign they passed read 'DANGER THIN ICE'. They slowed down considerably, hearing the ice around them begin to crack under their weight.

"Where do you think you're going? You're gonna wait right here for the cops!" Jackson hollered, before shaking his head in disbelief as Trapper turned toward him, Duel Disk at the ready.

"Not a chance! I beat you, I get away Scott free. So we're finishing this! I set one card face-down, and Summon Beast Striker!!" He yelled as he slapped the card onto his disk. Seconds later, the Solid Vision projections of their cards and fields reappeared, including a new humanoid beast wearing belted blue jeans and welding a large hammer about twice as big as the beast itself.

Beast Striker:  
EARTH / LEVEL 4 / BEAST / 1850 ATK / 400 DEF

"Are you serious?? Look around you! We're on thin ice, literally!" Jackson gawked, seriously considering if Trapper had a death wish.

"Yes, kid, I am serious. I beat you, the ice breaks, and the cops waste their time rescuing you while I get away. So I'll end it all this turn. I activate Super Rush Recklessly!" Trapper said, triggering one of his set cards. "By destroying a Beast on my field, I can shuffle a monster on yours into your deck, so say goodbye to Beast Striker," he said as his monster exploded into pixels, "and say goodbye to your Golem Dragon!" With Trapper's word, Golem Dragon turned into a beam of light and flew into Jackson's deck, destroying his equip card and leaving him all but defenseless.

"My next card will end this. I activate Horn of the Phantom Beasts, and equip it to my King of the Beasts!" Trapper triggered his second face-down, a Trap Card that equipped itself to King of the Beasts and materialized as two red-orange grotesque deer antlers atop King of the Beasts' head. "This card boosts King's attack power by 800. More than enough to kill you." Trapper gloated with the confidence of a criminal about to escape justice.

King of the Beasts:  
2500 ATK + 800 = **3300 ATK**

"BATTLE PHASE! KING OF THE BEASTS, SEND THAT SNOT-NOSED PUNK TO HELL! SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST!!" Trapper roared in concert with his Beast, laughing as his monster unleashed another torrent of black energy at his foe. When the smoke and snow dust faded, trapper growled as he saw Jackson was still standing.

Jackson Corvus: 3200 LP - 2500 = **700 LP**

"That attack should have killed you. What happened."

"Easy. Twin Twisters." Jackson pointed to his upright Quick-Play Spell Card. "By discarding a card from my hand, I can target and destroy up to two Spell and Trap Cards on your field, so I chose Horn of the Phantom Beasts and the other face-down card." Jackson grinned, sending Arkbrave Dragon to the Graveyard to pay the cost of the Spell.

"Wise-ass. One way or another, you're dead." Trapper set another face-down and ended his turn. 'Especially _after this,'_ trapper thought. _'No matter what you Summon, what line of defense you have, I'll still kill you. And with your own cards, no less.'_

Jackson looked at his deck for a second before drawing, knowing that at this moment, with his field bare of useful cards, and only having Trade-In left in his hand, he needed to pull a true Destiny Draw. He closed his eyes and placed two fingers at the top of the deck, then smirked as he heard a familiar female voice in his head.

_'Draw me, Jack. Draw me and let's end this!'_

Jackson's smile broadened and he nodded. "Yes, Fel. Let's. MY TURN! DRAW!!" Jackson smiled even more broadly, seeing his ace in his fingertips. He had everything he needed now.

"During the Standby Phase after the turn in which Arkbrave Dragon is sent to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon one Level seven or eight Dragon from my Graveyard!" Jackson extracted the card and held it to his forehead before placing the card on his Disk. "ROAR AND TAKE FLIGHT! MY FELGRAND DRAGON!!!"

A golden-scaled dragon roared to life, bursting from the thin ice as his powerful voice raged loudly.

Felgrand Dragon:  
LIGHT / LEVEL 8 / DRAGON / 2800 ATK / 2800 DEF

Trapper smiled and began laughing as he slapped his Duel Disk. "I WAS WAITING FOR THAT! YOU'VE TRIGGERED MY TRAP! FORCEFUL DEAL!!"

Trapper flipped up his final set card. "With this, if I ditch half my remaining LP and nuke my monsters, I CAN STEAL ALL OF YOURS!!!"

A massive explosion engulfed Trapper's field, the smoke of it bleeding across to Jackson's side. When it cleared, Felgrand Dragon had taken up position behind Trapper. The gilded Dragon snarled and growled, almost as if the spirit himself was angered at this turn of events.

Trapper: 4000 LP / 2 = **2000 LP**

This was it. Trapper's perfect combo. He would back his opponent into a corner and force them to summon their best monster to combat him, which he'd then steal and use against them. His nickname was "Trapper" for a reason, after all. In spite of his impending success, Trapper felt something was off. Something didn't feel right. He finally figured it out when he saw the look in Jackson's eyes. Nothing but pure murderous intent lay within them. Jackson's blood was boiling hot enough it could melt the permafrost around him. 

"At first, this was all business. Bitch, YOU JUST MADE IT PERSONAL! I ACTIVATE TRADE-IN!" Jackson roared, slotting in his card. "By discarding one Level eight monster, I can draw two cards from my deck!" His two new cards showed him something else; his Dragons were as angry as he was. The first card was Dragon's Rage, and the second…

"I ACTIVATE RETURN OF THE DRAGON LORDS!!!" Jackson held the card high as a large statue depicting what appeared to be a more elegant and almost divine embodiment of Felgrand Dragon appeared behind him. Paladin of Felgrand then appeared and knelt before the statue, as if praying at the altar of a beloved deity.

"With Return of the Dragon Lords, I can Special Summon one Level seven or eight Dragon from my Graveyard. A being of pure ethereal beauty and power." Jackson spoke slowly as he removed the card from the Graveyard, closing his eyes as he set her on his Disk.

"LET THE LIGHT OF THE HEAVENS SHINE DOWN ON THOSE WHO SEEK YOUR MERCY! THE RAYS OF JUDGEMENT SMITE THOSE WHO OPPOSE YOUR LAW! ROAR…. ROAR AND TAKE FLIGHT!! DIVINE DRAGON LORD FELGRAND!!!" At her partner's call, a brilliantly golden-scaled dragon shimmered into life as it burst through the clouds above as if flying down from Heaven itself. Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand was a beauty to behold, appearing like a more elegant and powerful form of her counterpart and coincidentally younger brother, Felgrand Dragon.

Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand:  
LIGHT / LEVEL 8 / DRAGON / 2800 ATK / 2800 DEF

"NOW, LORD FELGRAND'S ABILITY ACTIVATES! When she's Special Summoned from the Graveyard, she can banish one monster you control, and she gains 100 Attack Points times the level of the monster she banishes. FELGRAND DRAGON! TIME TO COME HOME! DIVINE LAW!!"

Felgrand Dragon nodded and spread his wings, roaring in concert with his sister as he slowly turned into scattering light that was absorbed into the body of Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand.

Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand:  
2800 ATK + (200 X 8) = **3600 ATK**

"Now this game is truly at its end. BATTLE! FEL, END THIS! DIVINE FELGRAND GIGATON CANNON!!!" Jackson roared as his partner roared with him, letting loose a golden stream of pure energy at Trapper and obliterating what was left of his lifepoints, knocking the poacher back from the force of the blast.

Trapper: 2000 LP - 3600 = **0 LP**

Trapper stumbled backwards, collapsing onto the ice as Jackson returned his cards to his Deck Box. "You made a few mistakes there, but I'll just tell you the most egregious. First, you practically shouted that your face-down was a game-ender. True, I was expecting something like that, but not that specifically. Second? You pissed me off. And if there's one thing you don't want to do, it's piss of a Dragon that's protecting something."

"Screw you, you damned brat. I'll see you in Hell!" Trapper fired back and pulled his whip, smashing the handle into the ice, causing it to break and fracture. Before he could raise his hand to break through the thin sheet, Jackson swung his foot up in an arc, bringing it down hard a bare inch in front of where Trapper was kneeling with a thundering axe kick, shattering the ice and causing Trapper to fall through into the Arctic waters.

"Hope a nice swim will cool off that hot head of yours." Jackson murmured as he walked away, letting the poacher fish himself out.

  
  


Back at the truck, Jesse had finished releasing all of the caged animals, watching them bound away happily, all except for the fox that Jackson was caring for. She was seen by a medical professional, and now had a bandage on her leg where the trap had snagged her, but she refused to leave the truck until Jackson came back. Jesse was seated on the tailgate of the truck, the fox lying next to him, and a small contingent of police and game wardens a couple feet away, who had already taken Terry Grunt into custody.

The fox suddenly perked up and stood, looking into the middle distance. She knew someone was coming. Jesse grinned and waved the person over.

Jackson made his way up the snowbank and to the nearest law enforcement officer, pointing over his shoulder in the direction he'd come. "About 250 meters that way. Might wanna hurry, I'd guess he's about two and a half minutes from being a Popsicle."

The police officers nodded and headed off in the identified direction as Jackson held his arms out to the fox, who summarily jumped into them and crawled up to his shoulder, wrapping herself around his neck like a scarf.

"Huh… that's new. Looks like I've got a friend." Jackson chuckled softly as he and Jesse made their way back to the fox's small den. At her stop, she crawled down Jackson's arm, licked his hand softly, and headed inside. "Let's get back to the Academy. I'm kinda anxious to see something, anything, NOT covered in ice and snow."

As the two friends returned to the academy, they saw a familiar sight, Czar laying on his back after being defeated in a duel. What they didn't recognize, or rather who, was a black-haired young man in a royal blue blazer, currently being congratulated by North Academy's Headmaster.

"Chazz, you've earned the right to be called the best at North Academy." Foster smiled at his newest student. "Welcome to your new home."

 _'Juuust perfect,'_ Jackson thought. _'Another upstart with an overblown ego fed by Foster's lies. Guess he'll be coming after me pretty soon...'_


	2. A Frosted Rose in Bloom! A Lethal Beauty on the Rise?

Jackson sighed softly as he walked around the North Academy campus, another layer of fresh powder deposited the night before was crunching under his boots as he marched along. One of the few pleasures about North Academy that he found was that the snow seemed to absorb the noise of the other people on campus, from students to professors, all went silent before the snow. Amid a population of around 50 students, it wasn't uncommon to walk around the campus and find it nearly vacant with most of the students either inside the main building with classes or studying or inside their cabins trying to stave off the cold of the Arctic.

Around campus there are only a few ways to keep the cold at bay, most either involve dueling or a warm meal, but Jackson wasn't really in the mood for either at the moment. Especially after he'd learned from Dr. Hesher that the fox he'd been taking care of had an infected wound from the poacher's trap. She'd been under closer observation since then, and her condition has improved greatly in the week. Dr. Hesher even said she would be back to full health in a matter of days, which certainly improved Jackson's mood.

Jackson, not even three days removed from his now-legendary Pipebomb, had still made his regular visits to the den to check on the pups and bring them food, and since the poachers had since been given fines totaling several hundred thousand dollars and a year in prison each there was little risk of their return. Though there was one small change to Jackson's daily routine as a result of the past week's events. Though, if one were to address the change directly as "small," she might have a few choice words in reply.

"You know, wrapping around my neck may keep you warm, but we're gonna have to do something about those claws of yours…" Jackson said to the small fox cub currently laying across his shoulders. The fox's only reply was a soft sigh that her current carrier felt on his neck. Jackson rolled his eyes, softly scratching under the cubs chin as he walked around. The cub seemed to purr in response making Jackson smile and softly scratch the cub's chin more. "... You're lucky you're cute."

Jackson didn't know the first thing about caring for a growing fox, except what they are and where they liked to sleep. This cub had been on a steady diet of fish and steamed herbs the past week since choosing to be Jackson's living scarf and furry friend. Not that Jackson would complain, though. Sometimes a little company of the four-legged and fluffy variety was exactly what was needed to keep morale high. The cub also functioned as an early warning system for incoming people, letting Jackson know he had a visitor on their way and closing quickly. Just like she was doing now.

"Jack Jack Jack!" Came Jesse's excited voice as Jackson's excitable friend sprinted past a nearby building, apparently coming from the academy's main concourse. "Jack you gotta come see! Someone's dueling!"

Jackson rolled his eyes, gently rubbing the fox cub's head to calm her down and thank her for the warning. "Jess, you know how I feel about random duels. They're not my thing unless someone poses a serious threat." Jackson kept walking until he heard Jesse's next three words.

"It's Rose Wilson."

"GO." Jackson barked, and he and Jesse turned and bolted in the direction Jesse came from, heading back toward the main concourse.

Rose Wilson was definitely a serious threat.

* * *

Jackson and Jesse skidded to a stop at the edge of a ring of other North Academy students, all eagerly watching the duel in progress. On one side stood Rose Wilson, a 17-year old female student with brown hair, a standard-issue brown and black winter North Academy uniform, and a small rose clip keeping her shoulder-length hair out of her eyes.

It was plain to see, however, that most of the students gathered were more interested in Rose's beauty rather than her dueling skills, as Jackson had heard at least one person comment on Rose having "curves in all the right places." While Jackson couldn't bring himself to argue her beauty, aside from wanting to shove his boot in the faces of the speakers for talking about her so rudely, he was currently more interested in the duel at hand, especially since Rose had been steadily rising through the ranks the past two weeks. When she started at North Academy about a year ago, she was ranked 43 out of the 50 duelist gauntlet. Now, in her second year at the academy, she had risen to the mid-teens, defeating one duelist after another as she climbed the ranks like a ladder.

Across from her stood the Russian brute Czar, currently ranked 4th in terms of power. He'd accepted Rose's challenge simply to humor her, not believing in the slightest that she would pose even the slightest challenge for his Metalmorph Zoa Deck. But here they were, six turns in and even Czar had to admit that Rose had some skill. But even so, he still had a point to prove…

CZAR: 3000 LP

ROSE: 1400 LP

"Even with all your flowery tricks, you still can't beat my Metalzoa!" Czar roared, chuckling to himself as he eyed his ace monster.

Metalzoa:  
DARK / LEVEL 8 / FIEND / 3000 ATK / 2300 DEF

 _"And with my Limiter Removal and Trap of Darkness ready to go on my field,"_ Czar thought with a smirk as he glanced at his face-down cards before looking back at his opponent, _"and with a second Metalmorph in my Graveyard, this game is as good as mine. Hope you're ready to head back down the ranks like last week's garbage."_

Rose looked at the four cards in her hand and smirked. She had two cards in her back row, and only a single monster on her field.

Rose Witch:  
EARTH / LEVEL 4 / PLANT / 1600 ATK / 1000 DEF

"Flowery tricks? I don't need any tricks to take you down, Czar. It's not my fault you're so distracted by the scent of the Roses…" Rose retorted, combing her fingers through her hair as she smiles inwardly. _"Even with my LP below half,"_ she thought, _"I've got this little promotion match in my pocket. Once Czar's turn ends, he's going down a peg."_

"Enough of this," Czar growled and pointed aggressively at Rose's monster. "Metalzoa! Kill the witch and end this pathetic excuse for a duel!"

Czar's monster gave a mechanical roar before charging Rose Witch, only to be intercepted by a massive horizontal tornado of petals emanating from behind Rose Witch. Rose Wilson had activated one of her Traps.

"Way to walk into that one, Czar! I activate Rose Blizzard!" Rose held out her hand, gesturing to her now-vertical Trap Card. "Rose Blizzard allows me to negate your attack, and then turn your Metalzoa into Defense Mode! So how about you take a knee you big creep! And you too, Metalzoa!"

Czar could only grumble in agitated Russian as he saw his ace monster be pushed back to its place on his field by Rose Blizzard, then drop to one knee with its arms crossed over its chest.

"I'll assume something in that little flurry of spoken Cyrillic text translates to 'Your Turn', so here I go," Rose said, smiling as she drew her next card. "Alright, up next I'll be summoning out Rose Paladin!" Before her, a small tornado of red flower petals swirled, then slowly dissipated, revealing a female warrior sporting a silver armored breastplate with gold trim, a matching armored combat skirt designed after an upturned rose blossom, and a spear large enough to impale at least three Metalzoas in one thrust.

Rose Paladin:  
EARTH / LEVEL 4 / WARRIOR / 1800 ATK / 200 DEF

"Up next is the Trap card, Overdoom Line!" Rose snapped her fingers, flipping one of her face-down cards up. "Then, I'll play Monster Reborn! You removed this royal from the field without even giving her a proper send-off, so I think it's only fair you give her an apology. NOW, BLOOM BRILLIANTLY! TALAYA, PRINCESS OF CHERRY BLOSSOMS!" a massive Sakura flower blossom appeared at Rose's side, slowly opening and revealing the elegant dark-haired princess within. Talaya wore a purple kimono adorned with Sakura blossoms, and held a florally inspired fan in her right hand. She looked every part the princess she was.

Talaya, Princess of Cherry Blossoms:  
WATER / LEVEL 8 / PLANT / 2800 ATK / 1200 DEF

"And, with the effect of Overdoom Line, my Talaya gains 1000 ATK seeing as she was resurrected from the Graveyard!" Rose smiles

Talaya, Princess of Cherry Blossoms:  
2800 ATK + 1000 = **3800 ATK**

Czar was evidently shaken. He knew this was his end. Especially when Rose snapped her fingers, signaling the beginning of her Battle Phase.

"Now, Talaya, attack Metalzoa! Rose Typhoon!" Rose declared, smiling as her monster raised her fan and pointed at Czar's mechanized beast, giving a slight grunt of disinterest as Metalzoa was suddenly engulfed in a tornado of red petals that imploded on Czar's monster and shattered it into a cloud of pixels. "Next, Rose Paladin and Rose Witch! Knock him back into his rocking chair!" Rose cried happily as her two monsters dashed across the snow toward their target, the paladin leaping and spinning counterclockwise before impaling Czar in his chest with her spear at the exact same moment that the witch materialized a thorned whip from her sleeve and snapped it on Czar's head.

Czar: 3000 LP - 3800 = **0 LP**

Jackson whistled softly, watching Czar collapse backwards into the snow as Rose smiled brilliantly, putting her cards away and deactivating her Duel Disk. A come-from-behind victory, but it almost seemed like she'd set it up from the beginning. Jackson was impressed, something he could hardly say about the vast majority of Duelists in North Academy.

"Guess she's moved up a few pegs, huh Jess?" Jackson smirked at his friend, getting no response from him at all until he waved a hand before Jesse's eyes. "Earth to Jesse Anderson, you there bud?"

Jesse blushed slightly and cleared his throat, immediately looking away from the brunette Duelist as she turned and headed back toward her own cabin. "It... it was the flowers. They were pretty." Jesse murmured. Jackson only rolled his eyes.

* * *

Rose smiled happily, almost giggling as she looked at the interior of her new cabin. Defeating Czar and moving up a few pegs came with some serious perks, first of which was a residence in the Snow Caps. Her new abode was far and away better than her old housing unit. Bunking with three other young women wasn't the worst thing that could happen, but after a year with the same three people she began to crave a new living situation. That, and a few new choice cards from a recently released set were the spark that propelled her upward in the ranks.

"A place all to myself. Certainly makes the condos at Caribou Corridor look like sardine cans in comparison." She muttered inwardly, heading inside and getting herself settled in. After packing away her clothes in the oak dresser and small closet, she had some serious decorating to do. The previous resident, apparently preferring things to be a bit darker, had covered the windows with shades that blocked out so much sunlight that it made each winter's month-long polar night look like a halogen lamp in comparison.

After replacing the shades with their standard-issue models, Rose set about properly arranging her precious flowers around the cabin. She got no end of teases from just about all of her former roommates about her name and botanical inclinations, but to her they weren't worth paying any mind. It wasn't her fault that others couldn't comprehend the beauty of a flower that has been well cared for. Flowers were her passion, and she reflected that same passion in her deck and in the way she dueled.

With everything now exactly the way she liked it, she turned back to her bag and pulled out a small notebook and flopped onto her new couch, smiling to herself as she realized, yet again, just how much better a single cabin in the Snow Caps was compared to her former residence. The couch was actually comfortable. After taking a sniff of a nearby potted Lilly of the Valley, Rose opened her notebook and smiled.

Inside the book was a hierarchy chart, showing the ranks of everyone presently attending North Academy, each Duelist represented by a small name-tag and photo courtesy of North Academy's student ID system. Rose's smile only broadened as she removed two names, Czar Ivanov and her own, and changed their places on the hierarchy chart. After all, she was now the 4th strongest Duelist in the entire Academy, and she had her sights set on the pinnacle now. Her next target was the Duelist sitting at the top of the pyramid, the best of the best at North Academy. That Duelist was Jackson Corvus. At least, to anyone who had any sense. Ask Rose, however, and she'd say that everyone else had hopped onto the flavor-of-the-month bandwagon and started following the new kid on campus.

Ever since Chazz Princeton showed up and spiked Czar's head into the permafrost he's been parading himself around as if he were some kind of second coming of Yugi Muto. While some knew his bravado was a result of his own ego being fueled by Chancellor Foster's declaration that Chazz had earned the right to call himself the best, there were many who had bought the lie and began following Chazz around like his own little hyena entourage.

"The only reason Foster said that was because Jack and Jesse were elsewhere," Rose muttered, pulling a pen and doodling a mustache on Chazz's picture. "You're lucky, Chazzyboy. Lucky the REAL king of the campus hasn't snuffed you out. _Yet_..."

What made matters worse was the upcoming School Duel between North Academy and Duel Academy. This happened every year, and the best Duelist from each academy were always selected to duke it out one on one. Unfortunately, this time it appeared that Foster had taken a particular shine to the new kid, and had selected him as the competitor to go against Duel Academy's best. It was absolutely obvious why, though. Foster only chose Chazz because Chazz was a former student at Duel Academy, and likely knew who would be chosen to represent the school. A dirty trick, basically using a double agent. It left a bad taste in the mouths of the few Duelists at North Academy who hadn't completely surrendered to the "any advantage, any extreme" motto that the academy seemed to push first and foremost.

Rose stood and set her notebook aside, resolving to challenge Jackson's reign tomorrow. She didn't care what Chazz said, in her book Jackson was still the top duelist.

Meanwhile, in the records room of North Academy's main building, a sudden chill ran up Jackson's spine. Jesse looked at his friend worriedly, looking up from his homework at Jackson's sudden shiver.

"What's up? Thought that black blazer of yours kept you warm..." Jesse said with a wry smirk.

"No idea, Jess. Just... had a chill out of nowhere. Usually means someone's thinking about you, right?"

"Yeah, but if they're thinking nice about you, your ears would be burning. A chill out of nowhere? That usually means someone's coming after you. Looks like someone's planning another run at your undefeated streak." Jesse smirked, turning his attention back to his assignment as Jackson sat across from him and got back to work on his own essay on Duel Monster Iconography.

"Jess, I'm not The Undertaker. My undefeated streak will never end." Jack retorted. He sighed softly, thinking to himself as he typed away on the keyboard before him.

_"I won't be defeated, but at the very least I'd like a decent challenge."_

* * *

The next day, Jackson and Jesse were making their way towards the Academy's main building. Not even a quarter of the way there, Jesse dropped a low-yield tactical infobomb on his friend...

"Chancellor Foster asked to see me?" Jackson asked as he scratched his fox friend's chin while she rested on his shoulders, a puzzled look on his face as Jesse walked beside him. 

"Yup. Apparently Rose made an official request to duel you- Hey!" Jesse cut himself off as Jackson spun on his heel and headed back toward his cabin. "Oh no, you're not getting out of this title defense!" Jesse grabbed the back of Jackson's jacket and gave a tug, pulling his friend back and pushing him toward North Academy's main building.

"Jess, you know full well that I don't do well with all that rah rah rah pomp and circumstance that goes into these big promotion duels, or just about anything else here. Foster starts pontificating and people start yelling and cheering like drunken feverish cult members. It's all nonsensical grandeur for a Duel Monsters academy where seven out of the top ten best duelists play like they barely know what a Spell Card is. That ain't me, Jess. I'm not attached to this place like everyone else here." Jackson complained as Jesse pushed him along.

"Jack, you think I don't know this? You bring that up every time anything about this academy is mentioned, right down to what the mess hall is serving for breakfast!" Jesse fired back as the two friends made their way toward the academy's duel field.

"Come on, I'm not that bad!"

"Jack, I know your spiel so well I can recite it forwards, backwards, and in Spanish. And I'm not even bilingual."

"... Okay, point taken. But let the record show, I'm going in under protest!"

An arrogant voice broke the two friends from their march, the source of the taunt leaning on the wall near the entrance to the arena itself.

"Having cold feet, are we? Well, if you don't want to fight, just let the real top dog on campus take your place?"

"Chazz Princeton." Jackson groaned, rolling his eyes at Foster's chosen one. "Don't you have someone else to annoy? Friends? Family? A hungry polar bear?"

“Oh ha ha ha. Very funny coming from the former best. Seems like nothing but sour grapes to me. What’s the matter, jealous of my success? Of course you are. Who in their right mind wouldn’t be?” Chazz smiled and rubbed his knuckles on his black trench coat, letting his ego rear its head.

Jackson smirked softly and kept walking, shooting Chazz a harsh glare as he paused next to Foster’s golden boy. “Tough words coming from someone who lost their last fight at Duel Academy. And, correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t you get flattened with an OTK the match before that?”

Chazz huffed and shook his head. “I’ve no idea what you’re talking abo-”

“Monsta Cardo." Jackson muttered, making Chazz instantly pale as the memory of being mercilessly obliterated at the hands of a certain other Dragon Duelist, and the second most vicious use of Berserker Soul in the history of Duel Monsters. Jackson smiled, seeing just how pale Chazz had gotten. “Huh, touched a nerve there, didn’t I. You’re decent with a deck, and maybe if you drop the attitude and get some friends you might even become a decent guy. But as things stand right now, I refuse to view you as anything other than a loudmouth braggart with a bad attitude and a trust fund bigger than his IQ. Calling you a Duelist would be an insult to anyone who’s ever picked up a Duel Monsters card. Now, if you’ll excuse me, the real king of the campus has someone who wants a chance at the throne. I’m not the type to keep a lady waiting, unlike you.”

Jackson walked on, Jesse hot on his heels as Chazz wiped the cold sweat from his brow, grumbling to himself as flashbacks of his penultimate match at Duel Academy raced through his mind like a PTSD episode.

“Yuki Hyoudou. I’ll get you back for that…”

* * *

“Ladies and Gentlemen! I bid you all a personal welcome to this Grand Promotion Match!” Chancellor Foster announced, having donned his yellow high-necked uniform for the ceremony. “This match is not only for the promotion of a young woman who has scratched and clawed her way to where she is now, but it is also for the crown of King of Kings of North Academy!”

Jackson couldn’t help but roll his eyes and sigh, leaning against the wall of the so-called Red Tunnel leading to the arena. In the center of the indoor stadium stood Chancellor Foster, grandstanding in the center duel field, mic in hand, and pontificating to the ravenous Social Darwinian masses that made up North Academy.

"See what I mean, Jess?" Jackson muttered to his friend. "Pomp, grandeur, and nonsense. I swear, Foster's dream job as a kid must've been an announcer for a wrestling promotion, assuming they even had pro wrestling back in the ice age…"

Jesse snorted softly as Foster continued, gesturing toward the side of the arena opposite from where Jackson stood.

"Introducing first, the challenger! A young woman who has fought with the strength of her very soul to get to this point! The Frosted Rose! Rose Wilson!"

The sound of a guitar filled the arena as an instrumental version of Welcome to the Jungle by Guns n Roses began playing. Seconds later, appearing through a shower of solid vision rose petals coming from a projector just above the entrance to the Blue Tunnel, came Rose Wilson in a red and black kimono with ornate rose petals decorating the entirety of its silk form. She smiled and waved to the thunderous applause and ovation she got from the students gathered in the stands. Making her way to the duel platform, she gave a soft bow to Chancellor Foster, a little thank-you for setting up this match, before taking her place on one side of the field.

Jackson glanced over at Jesse and smirked, seeing his friend dazed and almost enraptured by Rose's entrance. Jackson took the opportunity to wipe his hand in front of his friend's dazed face, making Jesse shake his head and sputter softly.

"Ey, what was that for??" Jesse blurted out, making Jackson chuckle softly.

"Oh, nothing. Just making you're you hadn't started considering wedding plans before your first date." Jackson snorted as Jesse fumbled for his words, the latter being cut off by Chancellor Foster's voice coming through the speakers again.

"And now introducing the Champion! A young man who has been undefeated since he walked into this academy, and seeks to continue that indomitable reign! Jackson Corvus!"

As Foster said his name, Jackson stepped toward the waterfall of sparks covering the tunnel, only now hearing the music that had been selected for him.

**"I hear voices in my head**

**They council me**

**They understand**

**They talk to me"**

Jackson groaned in frustration. He cast a glare at Foster as he made his way to the dueling platform as if it were any other duel, a mixed chorus of cheers and jeers coming from the students in the stands followed him with each step. He muttered a bit harshly at Foster as he passed.

"I told you not to use Voices for my theme anymore. I'm not the bad guy."

"I'm sorry, I must have missed that request. I have a lot of papers piling up on my desk," Foster responded, covering the microphone as he looked at his strongest student with mock concern. "Perhaps you should submit a new one?"

Jackson rolled his eyes and waved a dismissive hand in Foster's direction, heading towards the center of the platform as a small table rose from it. His opponent soon greeted him and placed her deck down on the elevated disk, prompting Jackson to do the same.

Neither one listened to Foster's hype-man routine, focussing solely on shuffling their opponent's deck.

"I've been anxiously waiting for this fight, Jackson." Rose muttered with a soft smile. "No offense, but I will be the one to dethrone the King of Kings."

Jackson smirked as he took his deck back, reinserting it into his Disk as Rose did the same with her own.

"Many have said that, Rose. Very few have been up to the task. I hope to see you at your best. Give me anything else for even a fraction of a moment, and you've already lost."

The two contenders nodded and backed to their sides of the duel platform, following Chancellor Foster's announcements.

"DUELISTS, DISKS AT THE READY! DRAW YOUR STARTING HANDS!! FOR THE TITLE OF KING OF KINGS, BEGIN!!!"

"DUEL!"

Jackson Corvus: 4000 LP

Rose Wilson: 4000 LP

"The challenger takes the first move, though in this case it's easier just to say 'Ladies First'." Jackson smiled, deferring to rose

Rose nods in response, drawing her sixth card. _"Jackson plays strong, so I've gotta start out strong!"_ She thought to herself, psyching up for what has to be one of the biggest duels she'll ever fight.

"Alright, I'll start by summoning Rose Witch!" Rose declared, placing the card on her disk as a woman in a dark pink and green jumpsuit with wide sleeves materialized with a flourish of the thorned whips she held in her hands.

Rose Witch:  
EARTH / LEVEL 4 / PLANT / 1600 ATK / 1000 DEF

"Don't get too used to this pretty face, though, because I can return her to my hand to Special Summon another dazzling beauty!"

Rose traded the card on her field with one from her hand, smiling as Rose Witch backflipped and vanished, leaving the rose petals to circle in her wake. Jackson watched as those petals slowly turned darker and darker, eventually turning black and arcing downwards.

The crowd gasped and cheered as the petals slowly dissipated, revealing Fallen Angel of Roses. The monster looked every part of her name, a tight black corset armor covered her torso and black angelic wings spread from her back. Black knee-high boots and matching forearm braces completed the ensemble, and a black thorned whip gave even more reason not to mess with this dangerous beauty.

Fallen Angel of Roses:  
EARTH / LEVEL 7 / PLANT / 2400 ATK / 1300 DEF

Rose smiled at her monster, then nodded and pulled another card from her hand.

"But don't think I'm stopping there! I activate Rose Bell of Revelation! With this, I can search my deck for one Plant-type monster with 2400 or more ATK, and add her to my hand!"

Rose smirked as she revealed the card she'd searched out, being one Queen Angel of Roses.

"You'll be heiling to this queen soon enough, Jackson. But for now I'll end my turn with a pair of face-down cards. You're up!"

Rose smiles as she slots the two cards into her disk, eyeing her field and hand.

 _"Solidified defenses, and I've got some backup power."_ Rose thought. _"I left him no openings."_

"Not bad, Rose." Jackson nodded as he saw Rose's field, smiling softly to himself. A serious threat she definitely was. But now it was time for his move.

"My turn! Draw!" Jackson scans his hand, smiling and popping open the Field slot of his disk. "How about we change the view around here? I activate the Field Spell Dragon's Ravine!"

Jackson looked around him as the arena slowly faded away, replaced by a large and deep canyon with Dragons roaring from far overhead as they circled their home. Jackson seemed more relaxed in this field, in the homeland of his Dragons. Jackson locked eyes with Rose as he continued.

"With the effect of Dragon's Ravine, I can discard one card from my hand to send a Dragon from my deck to the Graveyard. So, I discard one card, and send Pandemic Dragon from my Deck to the Graveyard." Jackson set the two cards in the Graveyard, smiling as he felt a whisper of his Spirit Partner's voice in his mind.

"Up next, I'll summon Dragon Knight of Creation!" Jackson slots in the monster and holds his hand before him as a ring of light appears on the platform, a regal warrior in gold armor styled like a humanoid dragon rising from within the ring. 

Dragon Knight of Creation:  
LIGHT / LEVEL 4 / DRAGON / 1800 ATK / 600 DEF

Starting out kneeling with his massive sword before him, the draconic knight bowed to Jackson as a recognition of his authority before standing and facing Rose.

"NOW, I'll be activating Dragon Knight's effect! By discarding one card from my hand, and sending Dragon Knight himself to the Graveyard, he can Special Summon one level seven or eight Dragon from my Graveyard! Dragon Knight of Creation, you're dismissed. Rise! Pandemic Dragon!"

The regal knight fades into the ground, the ring of white light expanding and turning black before a large serpentine dragon rises from it, its wings shaded in a purple hue and curling to form a biohazard warning symbol.

Pandemic Dragon:  
DARK / LEVEL 7 / DRAGON / 2500 ATK / 1000 DEF

The dragon roared proudly as it stared downwards at its prey. Jackson responded with a raise of his hand.

“Battle! Pandemic Dragon! Attack Fallen Angel of Roses! Contagion Stream!”

The dragon’s three wings glowed a dark violet before unleashing a tri-beam burst from each. Just as the three dark beams of energy were about to reach the botanical monster, Rose began to grin as she snapped her fingers. A card in her back row flipped up, generating a massive column of red petals that swarmed and intercepted the attack from Jackson’s dragon.

“You flew right into that one, Jackson! I activate Rose Blizzard! With this, I can negate your Pandemic Dragon’s attack, and then turn it into defense mode! Time for you to stop and smell the flowers, Pandemic Dragon!”

Rose laughed softly as Pandemic Dragon landed behind Jackson, the dragon’s tail curling around its body to protect itself. Rose smiled at Jackson, who surprised her with a smile in return. Her opponent actually seemed to be enjoying himself.

“Not bad Rose. Not bad at all. I guess I’ll set a face-down, and end my turn.”

Rose couldn’t help a slight blush. Being complimented by the best duelist in the school? How could she not feel a little self conscious?

 _“Keep it together, Rose.”_ she thought as she drew her sixth card and smiled broadly. _“Besides, my luck is finally kicking into effect.”_

“I play Fragrance Storm! With this, I can target and destroy one Plant-Type monster on my field to draw one card! Fallen Angel of Roses, I bid you farewell!”

At Rose’s word, the Fallen Angel of Roses was engulfed in vines, only for a portal to open beneath her and for her to sink through it.

“If Fallen Angel of Roses is sent to the Graveyard after being summoned by her effect, she’s banished instead.” Rose explained as she drew a card by Fragrance Storm’s effect. She smiled and jumped in excitement once she saw what card it was. “Now I can use Fragrance Storm’s second effect! If I draw a Plant-Type monster, I can reveal it and draw another card! So take a look!” Rose grinned and turned her new card around for Jackson to see.

Jackson’s jaw almost dropped at what was before him. “Rosearia, the Stately Fallen Angel?? That’s impossibly rare!” Jackson’s look of surprise morphed into one of excited eagerness. Things were getting interesting. 

“I know. It seems my luck is pretty good. Let’s see if it’ll hold up!” Rose smiles as she draws her second card per Fragrance Storm’s effect. She grins and slots her new card into her disk. “Guess what! It’s Pot of Greed! And since I’m sure everyone already knows what it does…” Rose draws her two cards to a soft chuckle from the crowd. As she looked at the cards, she smiled even more broadly and slotted one of them into her disk. “I play Twin Twisters!”

“You call your luck good?” Jackson grinned softly and chuckled. “I’d say you’ve got the devil’s own luck!”

“Well, it hasn’t been very good lately,” Rose muttered as she scratched the back of her head. “But it’s beginning to turn around. And this will help keep me in control! With Twin Twisters, I can discard one card from my hand and target up to two spell or trap cards on the field, and destroy them! And with this discard, I’ll target your face-down card for elimination!”

“Sorry Rose, but I’m not gonna let that happen without a fight. Chain! Dragon’s Rebirth!” Jackson shouted as his facedown card flipped up. “With Dragon’s Rebirth, I can banish one Dragon I control, then Special Summon another Dragon from my hand or Graveyard! So long, Pandemic Dragon,” Jackson muttered as his infectious beast faded into a black void between worlds. He then raised his hand as a bright white light shone from his graveyard. “Now! Take Flight, my White Night Dragon!” 

An icy wind blew from behind Jackson as a small snowstorm brewed and swirled, slowly coalescing into a blue dragonic form made entirely of pure ice. The frozen dragon roared, making his presence known in a show of power aimed at chilling Rose to her core.

White Night Dragon:  
WATER / LEVEL 8 / DRAGON / 3000 ATK / 2500 ATK

Rose only smiled, excited beyond belief. Not only was her opponent holding nothing back, she now had the chance to summon her own Super Ace monster.

“Pretty dragon you have there, Jackson. Unfortunately that glorified ice sculpture won’t be sticking around for very long. You see, when I have two level seven or higher Plant-Type monsters, one in my hand and another in my Graveyard, I’m allowed to banish both of them to Special Summon out my Ultimate Ace! I banish Queen Angel of Roses from my hand, and Tytannial, Princess of Camellias from my Graveyard!”

Jackson grinned as he watched a dimensional portal open behind Rose, the two monsters she named materializing and hopping through it a second later. _“You discarded Tytannial with Twin Twisters, didn’t you.”_ Jackson thought to himself. _“Clever girl. Let’s see what you do next.”_

Rose smiled and raised a hand to the portal of flower petals, watching as one half turned black while the other half turned a vibrant red.

“COME FORTH! FROM THE SACRED LAND AT THE WORLD’S BEGINNING!” Rose yelled as two white hands gripped the portal from the inside. “DESCEND FROM THE HEAVENS! ROSARIA, THE STATELY FALLEN ANGEL!” At Rose’s command, an ethereal being clothed entirely in white with gold bands on his wrists, knees, and ankles stepped through the portal and spread his wings. The wings on his right side were colored a dark violet, and the wings on his left were a vibrant red, identical to the portal he’d just stepped from. Rosaria shone brightly like a benevolent deity, palms open and a peaceful expression on his face. Rosaria had descended, and to a massive eruption of cheers from the students gathered.

Rosaria, the Stately Fallen Angel:  
EARTH / LEVEL 8 / PLANT / 2900 ATK / 2400 DEF

Rose almost felt like kneeling in reverence to this divine presence, but she knew that would have to wait for another time. She caught a curious look from Jackson and smiled, answering his unspoken question with her second face-down card.

“I know what you’re thinking, Jackson. ‘Why would she summon a monster weaker than mine?’ Well, right about now you should be thinking ‘oh crap, that’s why.’ I activate Plant Food Chain! I can equip this Trap card to a Plant-Type monster on the field, and give that monster a 500 ATK boost! Rosaria! Please accept this gift!”

Rosaria began to glow a bright green as his newfound power invigorated him, and put him 400 points stronger than Jackson’s Dragon.

Rosaria, the Stately Fallen Angel:  
2900 ATK + 500 = **3400 ATK**

“Battle Phase!” Rose smiled and pointed at Jackson’s icicle dragon. “Rosaria! Unleash your divine power on that Dragon! VALHALLA HARVEST!!” Rosaria rose into the air and held out his hands, his body glowing with a divine energy that eviscerated White Night Dragon, forcing Jackson to shield his eyes behind his duel disk.

Jackson Corvus: 4000 LP - 400 = **3600 LP**

“You look pretty beat up there, Jackson. I think I’ll let you off with a single set card before I do any more damage to your pride. You’re up!” Rose smiled as she heard the crowd cheer for her. She’d just drawn first blood in this match, and she was determined to keep up her advantage.

When Jackson lowered his duel disk, he was smiling ear to ear. He had almost forgotten what it was like to be challenged, to have a worthy opponent. Rose Wilson appeared to be that and much more. He drew his next card and smiled. With only one card in his hand, he couldn’t have drawn anything better.

“I play my own Pot of Greed! Let’s see what the Fates have in store for me.” Jackson drew his two cards, smiling as he heard a familiar series of high-pitched draconic chirps in his mind and a slight spectral pressure on his shoulder. His first card was his smaller Spirit Partner, Decoy Dragon. “Hello there, my little friend. You want in on this fight too?” Jackson asked the spirit, smiling as a soft series of happy chirps left the small Dragon’s mouth. “Alright. Let’s have some fun, partner.”

Jackson looked up at the sky, smiling as Dragon's Ravine was still in play. “Since we’re still in Dragon territory, I’ll use Dragon’s Ravine to discard a card from my hand to the Graveyard and send Tyrant Dragon to the Graveyard. Then, I’ll kick out a face-down card, and summon Decoy Dragon in defense mode!”

Jackson’s blue-scaled Spirit Partner chirped happily as he materialized in solid vision, flying around for a second before sitting on his card, the small dragon was barely bigger than Jackson’s own forearm, but evidently adorable enough to elicit several gasps and awes from the female students in the arena, Rose included.

Decoy Dragon:  
FIRE / LEVEL 2 / DRAGON / 300 ATK / 200 DEF

“Why would you bring something so cute to a fight?” Rose sputtered out as Decoy Dragon chirped and thumped his card with his tail. “The poor guy could be hurt!” Rose sighed, realizing that terrible duty was hers to bear as she drew her next card. As she scanned her hand, Jackson grinned and whistled softly to get her attention.

“Hey, Rose? Remember last turn I discarded something with Dragon's Ravine? Well, that something has a name, and a pretty cool effect. Arkbrave Dragon! Show her what you can do!” Jackson smiled as the faint, ghostly image of Arkbrave Dragon appeared above the field, gently spreading his wings and growling. “The turn after Arkbrave Dragon is sent to the Graveyard, he can resurrect one level seven or eight Dragon from the Graveyard! Now, rise and take flight! White Night Dragon!”

Arkbrave Dragon’s ghost faded, his body scattering into fragments of light that came together as the Dragon made of pure blue ice.

White Night Dragon:  
WATER / LEVEL 8 / DRAGON / 3000 ATK / 2500 DEF

The frozen dragon roared proudly before dropping to the ground and covering itself with its wings. Rose looked at the dragon curiously before nodding in understanding. Jackson had summoned his dragon in defense mode, giving himself a pretty heft wall to cross. Then again, given what she was about to do, that wall wouldn’t be around much longer…

“Alright Jackson, now’s where you see how sharp this rose’s thorns are! I activate Return from the Different Dimension!” Rose called as she snapped her fingers, causing her only facedown card to rise and shine brightly. “With this, I can Special Summon as many of my banished monsters as possible. Yeah, I gotta pay half my LP, but that’s a small price for what I’m getting in return…”

Rose Wilson: 4000 LP ÷ 2 = **2000 LP**

Rose looked up and smiled as a crack started appearing in the sky. The crack slowly gave way to a full tear in spacetime, a wormhole to a different plane of existence. Through it, fell Queen Angel of Roses, Fallen Angel of Roses, and Tytannial, princess of Camellias. All three of her formerly banished monsters were back, and each looked eager to end this duel on behalf of their master.

Queen Angel of Roses:  
EARTH / LEVEL 7 / PLANT / 2400 ATK / 1300 DEF

Fallen Angel of Roses:  
EARTH / LEVEL 7 / PLANT / 2400 ATK / 1300 DEF

Tytannial, Princess of Camellias:  
WIND / LEVEL 8 / PLANT / 2800 ATK / 2600 DEF

Rose smiled at Jackson, eyeing his two defensive monsters as she stood proud with her four powerful botanical beasts. 

“Alright, Battle Phase. Tytannial! Attack White Night Dragon with Petal Bullet Spiral!” Rose shouted, her monster spreading her arms wide. With a huff, Tytannial spread the large flower blossom she was sitting on and launched a machine gun volley of petals at the ice dragon, causing it to shatter into snow and pixels as it was destroyed. “Up next, Fallen Angel of Roses! Attack Decoy Dragon! Rose Thorn Whip!!” Rose yelled excitedly as her Fallen Angel cracked her whip at the small adorable dragon. If this attack went through, the game was over. Rose had this duel, and she knew it.

She knew it right until Decoy Dragon's eyes went from dark brown to crimson red as he unleashed a powerful roar that sounded more like it was coming from one of Jackson's ace Dragons as opposed to this small creature. The roar froze Fallen Angel of Roses in her place, fear evident on the monster's face.

Jackson could only grin from ear to ear as Decoy Dragon's roar was echoed by one of the dragons circling high above in the ravine.

"Decoy Dragon is a guardian spirit of dragons," Jackson began, smiling more broadly with each second. "He doesn't like it when his friends have been killed, and he likes it even less when he's the target. And his friends don't like him being attacked either."

Decoy Dragon roared even louder as Jackson continued, flapping his wings and rising from his card to float eye-to-eye with Fallen Angel of Roses.

"Decoy Dragon's effect! When he's targeted for an attack, a level seven or higher Dragon is called back from the Graveyard! And the one that's being called up? Oh is she a doozy of a Dragon!"

Jackson grinned as a bright golden light shone from his Graveyard, forcing Rose and her monsters to cover their eyes as Jackson withdrew the card and spoke softly, his voice slowly gaining power as he spoke.

"Let the light of the heavens shine down on those who seek your mercy. The rays of judgement smite those who oppose your law! ROAR... ROAR AND TAKE FLIGHT! DIVINE DRAGON LORD FELGRAND!!" At Jackson's borderline prayer, the golden light coalesced into a shimmering golden-scaled dragon, roaring with all the power and majesty befitting the true guardian deity of the dragon race.

Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand:  
LIGHT / LEVEL 8 / DRAGON / 2800 ATK / 2800 DEF

The dragon leveled her stern gaze at the Fallen Angel of Roses, who had stumbled backwards and collapsed off her feet at the sight of the immensely powerful presence before her.

"You really shouldn't have made momma dragon angry." Jackson quips with a smile. "You wouldn't like her when she's angry. Especially now that she has to protect her family. LORD FELGRAND! COUNTERATTACK FALLEN ANGEL OF ROSES WITH DIVINE FELGRAND MEGATON CANNON!"

The ethereal dragon opened her maw as the Fallen Angel of Roses began to flee back towards Rose, only to be cut down by a harsh blast of golden energy.

Rose Wilson: 2000 LP - 400 = **1** **600 LP**

"And now, since she destroyed a monster by battle, she can resurrect one level seven or eight Dragon from my Graveyard." Jackson said with a smile. "I'm not sure you've met this one yet, but I'm certain that you know his reputation. Now! Roar and Take Flight! Arkbrave Dragon!"

Another mighty roar sounded as another of Jackson’s prized dragons soared from his Graveyard, the four wings of this radiant gilded dragon spread wide as he began flapping them strongly, kicking up a whirlwind that whipped around the arena like a cyclone that tore at Jackson’s black jacket and Rose’s kimono. 

Arkbrave Dragon:  
LIGHT / LEVEL 7 / DRAGON / 2800 ATK / 2000 DEF

“Arkbrave Dragon’s effect! When he’s Special Summoned from the Graveyard he can banish all face-up Spells and Traps you control, and he then gains 200 ATK for each one! Since you only have Plant Food Chain on the field it won’t be much of a boost, but it still gets rid of something pesky, doesn’t it…” Jackson grinned as Plant Food Chain exploded in a shower of pixels and Arkbrave Dragon roared as he powered up.

Arkbrave Dragon:  
2800 ATK + (1 x 200) = **3000 ATK**

Rose seemed completely nonplussed as she held up her recently destroyed Trap card.

“Since you destroyed my Plant Food Chain while it was equipped to a monster, I can Special Summon one Plant-Type monster from my Graveyard! I entreat you to bid a hearty welcome back to Fallen Angel of Roses!” Rose grinned as the dark angel arose from the ground in a black rose bloom.

Fallen Angel of Roses:  
EARTH / LEVEL 7 / PLANT / 2400 ATK / 1300 DEF

Rose felt completely untouchable, especially when she clearly had the numbers advantage, and still held the power advantage. Until she saw Jackson smirk and snap his fingers, causing his face-down card to rise.

“The very fact that I draw breath means I’m going to win. I activate Burst Breath! With this, I can tribute one Dragon to destroy all monsters with a DEF less than that Dragon’s ATK.” Jackson smirked before looking puzzled as Rose chuckled softly.

“Yeah, shame that I can negate any effect that targets a card on the field so long as I have Tytannial on the field.” Rose smirked, believing she had her flawless escape, only for Jackson to sigh and smile.

“Yeah, that would be a shame. If only Burst Breath’s effect targeted anything. Sorry, but it doesn’t.” Jackson murmured as he held his hand out to Arkbrave Dragon. “Arkbrave, take a page out of a Hyoudou’s handbook. BURN IT DOWN!” 

Arkbrave responded with a massive roar, soaring skyward and unleashing a torrent of flame, obliterating every monster on the field in the scorching blaze. After his work was done, Arkbrave himself faded into a shower of sparks.

“It’s still your turn, Rose. Make something of it and show me that you are what I think you are.” Jackson said calmly, studying her carefully.

Rose nodded softly, understanding him perfectly. She looked down at her hand, her backup ready to go. “For my second Main Phase, I Summon Lonefire Blossom!” Rose hollered, and a small bulb-like plant sprouted on her field, looking like a horticultural bomb with a lit fuse.

Lonefire Blossom:  
FIRE / LEVEL 3 / PLANT / 500 ATK / 1400 DEF

“Now, I’ll release Lonefire to activate its effect, and Special Summon one Plant-Type monster from my deck! Bloom brilliantly! Talaya, Princess of Cherry Blossoms”

A flurry of white Sakura cherry blossoms spun rapidly behind Rose, slowly dying down as a beautiful young woman in a purple kimono appeared behind her, standing in a larger blossom and wielding a proper lady’s fan.

Talaya, Princess of Cherry Blossoms:  
WATER / LEVEL 8 / PLANT / 2800 ATK / 1200 DEF

“So, am I what you hoped?” Rose taunted, passing the turn over to Jackson. He smiled in turn and nodded.

“That and more. It seems you’re a true Duelist after all. That drive to keep fighting and the knowledge to play your cards right is the hallmark of a true Duelist. No matter what, never let that go, Rose. It’s my turn. Draw.” Jackson pulled his top card as his Graveyard began shining once again, the ghostly form of Arkbrave Dragon appearing above him. “Arkbrave Dragon’s effect activates now. During my Standby Phase, if he’s in the graveyard because he was sent there last turn, I can Special Summon one level seven or eight Dragon from my Graveyard. You fought beautifully, Rose. It’s only fair that I respond in kind and give you a beautiful end.”

Jackson pulled a card from his Graveyard, holding her to his forehead and speaking softly, his voice slowly rising as he held her aloft before placing his own Ultimate Ace on his field.

“Let the light of the heavens shine down on those who seek your mercy. The rays of judgement smite those who oppose your law! ROAR... ROAR AND TAKE FLIGHT! DIVINE DRAGON LORD FELGRAND!!”

The ethereal Goddess of the Draconic race rose elegantly and roared with a passionate power that mirrored her partner’s fervor. Lord Felgrand then leveled her gaze at Talaya, causing her to glow slightly.

Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand:  
LIGHT / LEVEL 8 / DRAGON / 2800 ATK / 2800 DEF

“Lord Felgrand’s ability activates now. When she’s Special Summoned from the Graveyard, she can target and banish one monster you control or is in your Graveyard, and grow stronger by 100 points per level that monster had. Talaya, ascend to Valhalla! DIVINE LAW!” Jackson roared as Talaya shattered in a haze of shimmering sparks that were rapidly absorbed by Lord Felgrand, who roared with her newfound power.

Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand:  
2800 ATK + (100 x 8) = **3,600 ATK**

Jackson smiled as Rose looked at Lord Felgrand with a mixture of awe and mild fear.

"It's time, Rose. Game over. BATTLE PHASE! DIVINE DRAGON LORD FELGRAND!! ATTACK ROSE DIRECTLY! DIVINE FELGRAND MEGATON CANNON!!"

Lord Felgrand roared and reared her head back, charging and unleashing a bright beam of golden energy upon Rose, obliterating the remnants of her LP and ending the duel with a decisive victory for the still Undefeated Dragon Lord.

Rose Wilson: 1600 LP - 3600 = **0 LP**

Rose stood still for a second before She slumped to her knees. She couldn't take him down, even though she'd fought maybe one of the best matches she would ever be a part of. She shuddered in frustration, beginning to wonder if her improvement over the last few weeks was worth it, if she'd even grown at all. 

Rose's dark train of thought derailed the moment she felt a hand on her shoulder. Looking up, she saw Jackson crouching in front of her with a warm smile on his face.

"It hurts, doesn't it. That loss after you've come so far," Jackson mutters, and Rose nods softly in reply, neither paying Foster much attention as he went through his post-match announcements. "Good. It means you're alive as a Duelist."

Rose was stunned. Everything she'd heard about the Undefeated Dragon Lord told her he was cold and distant from Duelists he beat, seeing then as not worthy for even a moment of his time. Her brain was scrambling for an answer as Jackson helped her to her feet.

"I know what you're doing, and I need you to stop." Jackson slowly stood, bringing her to her feet as well. "Stop thinking that your progress was worthless because you couldn't beat me. You've come a long way since you walked in here with Gigaplant as your ace."

Rose blushed softly at Jackson's compliment, but what happened next surprised her even more. Jackson raised her hand, and to a thunderous applause from the crowd. Rose froze for a second before smiling and welcoming the praise.

"Rose Wilson, I have high hopes for you. Even after I'm gone from here, I hope you'll never stop chasing that next challenge." Jackson smiled and headed back through the entrance tunnel.

* * *

Several hours later in the opulently decorated office of North Academy's headmaster, Chazz Princeton sat across from Chancellor Foster as the bespectacled older man pulled a small ornate mahogany box from his desk. The box clearly contained something of immense value to Foster, the headmaster gazing at it with a look mirroring reverence before setting it before Chazz.

"You're going to be representing North Academy in the main event of the School Duel in three weeks, Chazz." Foster said with a smile and a touch of pride.

"Uh, tell me something I don't know. Like what's with the box?" Chazz responded with his usual holier than thou attitude, eyeing the small container.

"Well, I can't exactly have the duelist representing my academy fighting live in front of millions with a collection of cards he pilfered from the snow now can I?" Foster smiled and slid the box over towards Chazz.

"This deck was built specifically for someone like you. Someone hungry, someone powerful, someone with a score to settle. Take these cards, Chazz. Take them… and triumph."

Foster grinned as Chazz opened the box slowly, the former Duel Academy student grinning even more darkly as he held up one of the cards held within. 

Chazz chuckled and eyed Foster with a nearly sadistic smile. "With this, Duel Academy is toast…"


	3. Break Down the Walls of Jericho! The Lion Tamer Stands Tall??

One week is not a long time in the grand scheme of things. Seven days may seem longer, but in the end it's all the same. Just a countdown timer on a wall leading to something new. That was the fate before Jackson as he made his usual trek around North Academy's permanently snow-covered campus with his fuzzy friend, now named Kitsune, resting comfortably on his neck.

The School Duel was now less than a week away, and Jackson had already set off two Pipebombs, with Pauline Heyman generously donating one of her own to the party, effectively burying Chancellor Foster in his own academy. There was no turning back now, not with everything that's happened. In many ways he felt undeserving of being the center of attention after speaking out as he had, especially since it was attention he'd rather be aimed elsewhere.

Jackson had pointed out Chancellor Foster's shady business practices and financial abuse of his students. Even basically got Foster to admit he had more pipe dreams than a plumber and poorer ethical standards than a lifelong con man. It was only a matter of time before Foster was ousted for good, and Jackson personally couldn't wait for that moment to happen.

Jackson's usual walk around North Academy's campus was normally a solo journey, but he elected to make an exception in today's case. After all, it's not every day you make a new friend. In addition to Jackson's new fuzzy companion, he was accompanied by Rose Wilson, and Rose had just handed him a bit of a Pipebomb of her own...

"Huh? You're jumping ship to Duel Academy?" Jackson fixed Rose with an incredulous gaze after hearing her little bombshell. The botanical duelist, having recently become a member of his trusted inner circle and one of his strongest allies, had evidently decided that now, less than seven days before the School Duel, was the best time to spring her imminent departure upon her friend.

"Yeah. Your little Pipebomb and Pauline's follow-up opened quite a few eyes around here." Rose said, raising her hand to block the sun's glare off the snow at their feet from rendering her snow-blind. "Apparently Foster's even under investigation. I'd rather not sick around longer than I have to with that little nugget of info floating around."

"Good point. I'm actually considering signing up with DA myself. All kinda depends on how good of a fight they put up at the School Duel."

"Jackson, it's Duel Academy. It's practically guaranteed that they're gonna mop the floor with North Academy. I mean, the only duel I see this academy possibly winning is the tag duel with you and Jess."

"Oh? It's 'Jess' now, is it?" Jackson cocked an eyebrow at that and smirked at Rose.

Rose flushed about as red as her namesake, softly punching Jackson's shoulder as she barks at him. "Oh shut up you!"

Jackson chuckled softly and reacted to the punch as if Rose was wearing a weighted boxing glove.

Since dueling one another, Rose and Jackson had become fast friends, though not quite as fast as she and Jesse had become friendly. Almost friendly to the point that Jackson was beginning to question whether his friend's interest in Rose was strictly platonic and nothing more, though Jackson really couldn't blame Jesse for his attraction to her. Rose was kind, intelligent, and admittedly rather easy on the eyes. Jackson couldn't help but smile as it seemed his friend was trying to throw a bit more trademarked Southern Charm her way whenever they were together.

Ten minutes later, Jackson and Rose had arrived at North Academy's main dueling arena, the cheers from those in attendance making the walls resonate slightly. With his last televised duel as a North Academy student on the horizon, Jackson had an inkling as to why Jesse had called him here. Maybe there was someone willing to put up a fight?

Stepping out into the stands, Jackson heard a voice that instantly made him nauseous.

"That's all you got? Some pathetic defenses?" Chazz Princeton taunted his opponent, each arrogant chuckle sounding like an insult. "It's no wonder you're at the bottom of the heap with a deck like that! You can't win with defense alone!"

Chazz stood tall, glaring at the young man standing across the dueling platform from him. His opponent, currently wilting under Chazz's torment, was a blond duelist that Jackson immediately recognized as Joshua Jericho. From what Jackson recalled of the Winnipeg native, Jericho played a mostly defensive strategy relying on Rock-Type monsters and had recently added an interesting combo involving Block Dragon and Castle Gate to his lineup. While Jackson had watched Jericho's gauntlet from the sidelines, he sensed potential in the young man, though only if he could get over his inferiority complex...

"Glad to see y'all made it! Chazz has been on his soap box since the duel started."

Jackson turned at the sound of the familiar southern drawl, finding Jesse Anderson leaning against the back wall of the arena. Jesse blushed slightly upon seeing Rose, but quickly regained his composure.

"Dunno if you remember, but Josh was poised to get promoted from the 40's into the mid 30's with a fight against a mid-level today. Somehow his promotion opponent got switched up to be Mr. Ego McBighead over there."

Rose snickered softly, sparing a glance at Jesse as she brushed some of her hair over her ear. Jackson could only roll his eyes as he focused on the duel, electing to leave the two to some sloppy flirting as he pulled his PDA from his pocket and cued up the duel in progress, though it took him a bit of time to find either participant. North Academy duels weren't very high on his list of viewing priorities...

Jericho had started strong, his first turn beginning with Catapult Zone and several high-defense monsters in quick succession. He'd loaded his Graveyard early with more than enough materials to execute his favored Castle Gate combo, and in almost record time. There was only one minor problem with Jericho's plan: Chazz was just a little bit faster.

By his third turn Chazz had gotten out Armed Dragon LV 7, and had used a combo of Light of Intervention and LV 7's own effect to effortlessly wipe Jericho's defenses down to almost nothing. Jericho's LP would be in a similar state after Chazz's current turn.

Jackson looked up from his PDA, having missed absolutely none of the action as Chazz had continued his rant over nearly five minutes. If nothing else, Chazz loved to hear the sound of his own voice. Jackson surveyed the current field as Chazz continued droning, the arrogant voice becoming little more than white noise to Jackson by now.

All Jericho had left was Stone Statue of the Aztecs in defense mode, nothing in his back row. and a respectable 3000 LP to his name. Chazz, however, had Armed Dragon LV 7 poised for an assault, his Continuous Trap Light of Intervention, and 4000 LP. With Chazz boasting even though his monster was 200 ATK too weak to end the duel, Jackson could easily guess what Chazz's next move would be.

"Time to end this!" Chazz cried out, his borderline battle cry amounting to more than enough evidence to tell Jackson his educated guess was on point. "I'll be evolving my Armed Dragon into his ultimate form! By releasing Armed Dragon LV 7, I can Special Summon Armed Dragon LV 10 from my hand! LV 10! Rise!"

Chazz's dragon roared in anger, its body bulking up with even more muscle, growing not only in size but also in obvious malice as it evolved into its final form.

"LV 10's effect activates now! By discarding a card from my hand, I can destroy all face-up monsters you control!"

At Chazz's order, the blades on his dragon's stomach began spinning before turning a blinding white and launched towards Jericho's Stone Statue of the Aztecs. The green and blue effigy barely lasted a second under the onslaught, exploding in a cloud of dust and rubble before Chazz's dragon opened its mouth for the finishing blow.

"Armed Dragon LV 10, attack him directly!"

A beam of black and red energy poured from the dragon's mouth, clearing away the dust from the statue's explosion, as well as the rest of Jericho's LP. Chazz didn't waste any time before gloating and celebrating, proclaiming the North Academy arena his yard, and he's the big dog running it. Jackson's only refuge from the dribbling bullshit was to seek asylum in the open air outside the arena, his two friends having long since departed on a coffee excursion for two that neither would admit was a first date.

**XxXxXxX**

"How could I lose!? My strategy was flawless!" Two hours after his defeat at the hands of Chazz Princeton, Joshua Jericho's frustration was still at a tipping point. Even worse, it showed no signs of diminishing any time soon. He'd improved so much since his entrance gauntlet, even adding in a combo that could pull off an OTK to his deck and had seen continuous success with it. But any kind of further advancement seemed out of reach for the young duelist.

Stewing in his own frustrations, Jericho was practically def to the world around him. He didn't even hear his PDA's ringtone until five minutes after it first went off.

"Josh, who-"

"Mister Jericho, I would like to see you in my office at once."

The sound of Chancellor Foster's voice made Jericho's blood run cold. There were very few reasons why the chancellor of North Academy called someone personally, and even fewer were situations in which that call was a request for an in-person meeting. Jericho figured he was either being promoted or expelled, and his recent defeat at the hands of Foster's golden boy made the former nearly impossible and the latter almost certain. Either way, Jericho saw fit to pack his belongings.

His packing done and his cleanest winter coat on, Jericho stood in front of Foster's office. A soft knock was all he could muster before hearing the Headmaster's instruction to enter. Taking a seat in front of Foster's desk, Jericho sat in anxiety-ridden silence. All he wanted was to get this over with.

"Jericho," Foster began, setting down a file that was clearly his current guest's academic record and dueling history. "I believe... there may be a way we can be of assistance to one another..."

* * *

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WELCOME TO TODAY'S EDITION OF NORTH ACADEMY'S LIVE WEEKLY DUELING BROADCAST!" Chancellor Foster hollered into his microphone. The headmaster had donned his more formal attire to address the audience this evening. He was joined on the dueling platform by Jackson Corvus, Jesse Anderson, Rose Wilson, and Chazz Princeton, each duelist dressed for the occasion in their stylized dueling attire.

"As many of you in the stands and watching at home may be aware," Foster continued, "North Academy will be taking on Duel Academy this coming Sunday at the School Duel. As many of you also may have heard, there's going to be a break in tradition this year. It's not going to be another one-and-done affair, but will feature three matches between both academy's best and brightest!"

Foster paused as Chazz raised both arms, gloating and taking the spotlight, believing himself to be the very best and brightest. It wasn't until Jackson raised a single fist skyward that Chazz realized who the crowd saw as North Academy's best. The ovation for Jackson was almost twice as loud as Chazz's, and both Jesse and Rose winced slightly from the surprise of the sudden reaction. Foster had to fight himself from a grunt of disgust as he continued.

"The card for the event will feature a two-v-two tag team match, a one-v-one women's division match, and the main event School Pride Match! I stand here before you today, to announce North Academy's side of the card!"

Another pause for applause, then a gesture to Jackson and Jesse.

"In the opening contest, I expect a clean and decisive victory from the team of Jackson Corvus and Jesse Anderson!"

Jackson and Jesse both raised their fists and hands respectively, Jesse waving to the crowd and playing to the ovation a bit more than Jackson, who remained mostly stoic with an air of calm confidence.

"Facing off against one of Duel Academy's powerful femme fatales, I expect nothing but the best from Rose Wilson!"

Rose stepped forward and bowed in her floral kimono, smiling as she raised herself back up to the cheers of the audience.

"And last but not least, I expect nothing but an absolute slaughter in the main event. Representing North Academy in the School Pride match! The Armed Draconian Devil! Chazz Princeton!"

Foster stepped aside, allowing Chazz to step up and soak in the glory of the moment.

"These four impeccable duelists, trained by the best my academy has to offer, will show no mercy to whoever they face! Not only that, but we'll see each of them in singles competition tonight on the final broadcast before the School Duel! So stay tuned, North Academy Faithful! The show! Begins! NOW!"

At Foster's word, pyrotechnics and fireworks began firing off from around the entrance tunnel as Linkin Park's "New Divide" began playing through the arena's speakers, signaling the official start of the televised broadcast as the four chosen North Academy representatives filed out backstage to the locker rooms, save for Chazz. Foster's Chosen One elected to rest in his own personal locker room, far away from the 'undeserving' lower ranks.

**XxXxXxX**

As the three friends arrived in the waiting room they saw the night's match card, showing who their opponents would be for the night. Rose would be in the opening contest, and would face off against a relative unknown in North Academy named Martin Riley. Currently ranked 50, Riley showed no signs of rising above that rank. A squash match if there ever was one. Jesse would be in the match immediately following, and would face off against Czar Ivanov. Jackson and Chazz would each be a part of a dual main event, with Chazz having the honor of closing out the night. Jackson's match would immediately precede Chazz's, and he would be facing off against Joshua Jericho. Chazz would be facing off against two of Czar's former lackeys, members of the Four Emperors of North Academy, in a two-on-one match to play the role of showstopper.

"Uh, I didn't pick Jericho." Jackson said with an air of confusion. "In fact, I hadn't selected anyone just yet."

Jesse scratched his head as he sat down on one of the room's couches.

"Duelists that are departing or graduating get to pick who their final opponents are, but I guess this means your final opponent was chosen for you."

"Doesn't really seem fair, does it?" Rose said, taking a seat next to Jesse as she pulled out her deck and went through a few practice drills. "Why would Foster put you against Jericho of all people? Isn't he somewhere in the mid-40's after yesterday?"

"He's ranked 48, actually." Jackson sighed and scratched his head. He was at a loss as well. Why would Foster place his top-ranked duelists against someone two rungs from last place? He shook his head in resignation. The _why_ wasn't important right now. The card was set, and if there's one thing Foster hated, aside from sneezing and someone challenging his authority, it was changing an active card. Jackson sat back on one of the provided chairs, watching the promotional package for each of the night's duels. Each one was narrated by Foster himself, and Jackson had to fight himself from rolling his eyes so hard they almost rolled out of his head. Minutes later, Rose stood and smoothed out her floral kimono.

"Wish me luck, boys!" She smiled and waved, heading out to the arena. Jackson sighed and pulled out his PDA, tapping away at the keyboard as he glanced at his friend.

"Jess, roll your tongue back into your head. Drooling is unbecoming."

Jesse Immediately straightened up and shook his head clear of the random thoughts of Rose. Seconds later both men snapped their eyes to the TV, an instrumental variant of Welcome to the Jungle by Guns 'n' Roses blasting through the speakers. Rose came on screen seconds later, smiling from the top of the ramp and crouching in a respectful bow before standing with her head held high.

"Your girlfriend is pretty much poised to win this in a landslide, Jess." Jackson smirks, turning his head back to his PDA, leaving Jesse to sputter indignantly and stutter out a pathetic and utterly paper-thin, rebuke of Jackson's comment. Before Jesse could even fully compose his retort, a new duelist's music began playing, drawing curiosity as the young man entered.

**"Say it to my face!**

**Should've been a man, but you don't know how**

**Play your hand you lost, but it's too late now**

**Have to pay the price for things you've said, yeah!"**

"Is that-" Jesse began before Jackson interrupted.

"Downstait? Yeah."

"Do you think he-"

"Knows he'll be stepping on some toes? Definitely not. Only you, Rose, and one very well bribed A/V tech know about the little surprise."

**XxX**

Elsewhere, a young man looked up from the king-sized bowl of Jackson's gumbo which he was ravenously devouring. The student looked around in his studio as the other students worked on the broadcast.

"Someone mention me?"

"No, Clyde, shut up and wait until you get your cue then play the person's theme." Someone else barked from across the room.

**XxX**

"Martin Riley?" Jesse said, his brow wrinkled in confusion. "He's unranked. What's he doing on North Academy TV? I thought only Ranked duelists were allowed to perform?"

"Maybe Foster's so desperate for ratings that he's starting to take my advice?" Jackson smirked at his friend as the duel began, though both of them knew that the last thing Foster would ever do is take advice from anyone, even if the advice was "Breathe Regularly".

Rose started first, the two young men awaiting their turns watched on as she summoned her Lonefire Blossom, but the small explosive flower bulb wouldn't be staying around for long. Jesse winced as the bulb exploded, Jackson only smirked as the smoke faded and revealed Talaya, Princess of Cherry Blossoms.

"No way, a level eight on her first turn?!" Jesse was on his feet in surprise, While Jackson barely reacted. "How are you not freaking out right now?"

"Jess, I dueled her, remember? It's kinda how you two met?" Jackson couldn't help the bemused smirk spread across his face as he gestured back to the TV. "Look, she just set three facedowns. With that smile on her face? I'll bet you one of them is Overdoom Line, the other is Twin Twisters, and the last one is Plant Food Chain."

"How on Earth could you possibly know that?"

"With one duel I can tell a person's strategies pretty well. Took me two turns to figure out you were going for an OTK the first time we faced off..."

Jesse grumbled and sat back down, knowing his friend was probably right as Riley took his first turn, Opting to Summon Worm Xex in Defense Mode. Jesse physically recoiled at the reptilian creature, resembling a mutated Starfish and much more slimy.

"Worms? Really?" Jesse shivered. "I'm all for Reptiles, I mean Emerald Tortoise is a turtle, but an entire deck around those things? No thank you."

"He's playing them wrong."

"What?"

"Riley. He's playing his Worms wrong." Jackson pointed as riley used Xex's effect to send Worm Yagan to the Graveyard, then promptly resurrect it as a defensive with its own effect.

"I don't know what you're talking about. He seems to be using them pretty well to me. Especially since he just activated Double Summon. Bet he's going for Worm King or Queen."

"King. He's playing too aggressively with the Worms." Jackson sighs softly, rubbing his temple as Riley's Worm King is equipped with Reptilianne Rage, boosting the already powerful monster from 2700 ATK to 3500 ATK. "He's playing right into her hands."

"What do you mean by 'too aggressive'?" Jesse cocks an eyebrow at Jackson, simultaneously confused and curious.

"Just watch. Worms are a tactical deck, not a beatdown deck. He's acting like he's playing a Koa'ki Meiru setup."

Both young men watch as Riley sends his Worm King charging in for an attack, aiming to take out Rose's Cherry Blossom Princess. Instead, Rose countered with Rose Blizzard, a move that made Jesse cock an eyebrow and smirk at Jackson.

"I don't recall that card being in your little analysis..." The sarcasm and southern sass was rich in Jesse's drawl. Jackson could only reply with a mumble about nobody being perfect before sulking for a moment as Worm King was forced into Defense Mode. Riley merely growled and ended his turn after that, something that made Jackson facepalm so hard Jesse was certain he'd be woozy later. "Worm King's effect! How could he forget Worm King's effect!?"

Jackson sat forward and looked at his friend as Rose started her next turn. "Jess, Worm King can sacrifice a Reptile-type 'Worm' to destroy a card on the field. He had the perfect cost in Worm Xex, and the perfect target in Talaya. I thought that's what he'd have as a backup, but either he forgot or wanted to go for the direct route. Either way, it looks like Rose is about to finish this up."

"Huh? It's only her second turn!" Jesse blurted out before his eyes shot to the TV just as Rose triggered Raigekki. With Riley's monsters about to be destroyed in a massive lightning strike, Jesse knew what Jackson meant. Rose chained her Twin Twisters to her own Raigeki, discarding one card and destroying Reptilianne Rage. With the equip spell gone and the only monster Riley had on the field being an 1800 ATK monster in Attack Mode, he was pretty confident of his survival thanks to Reptilianne Rage lowering Rose's only monster by 800 ATK. With only 1900 ATK to her name now, there was no way Talaya would end him this turn. But Talaya wasn't alone.

Rose activated her Miracle Fertilizer Continuous Spell, Special Summoning the monster she discarded to activate Twin Twisters. Talaya was soon joined by her sister-in-arms in the form of Tytannial, Princess of Camellias. Jesse whistled in awe at the combo, and Jackson smirked as both Plant Princesses unleashed their full botanical fury on Riley. Jackson almost felt sorry for the kid, barely getting a single turn in before falling victim to an OTK at the hands of North Academy's Frosted Rose.

**XxXxXxX**

Ten minutes later, Rose had returned to the locker room with the expectation of at least some rest. Instead, she was greeted with a massive hug from Jesse in congratulations of her masterful showing. With a blush, she returned the embrace before Jesse had to bolt to the arena for his match against Czar. Rose sighed and flopped onto the couch, more frustrated than physically exhausted.

"How did they let that greenhorn into the academy in the first place?" She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "That kid barely knew the effects of his own cards much less how to play them."

"I know how you feel Rose." Jackson's reply to her was accompanied by a bottle of water being offered in her direction, one she gratefully accepted. "The way he was dueling? It felt like he'd just re-read the rule book about ten seconds before his music hit."

"M-hm." Rose nodded in agreement, screwing the cap back onto the bottle after taking a large gulp from it. "Speaking of music, here's hoping his choice of Downstait doesn't deter you from your little surprise."

"Rose, at this point, not even the grandson of a plumber could change my mind. Neither the Nightmare, nor the Natural."

Both turned their attention to the TV, seeing the next promotional package play for Jesse's duel against Czar before the camera cut to the arena. A smooth electric guitar began playing, bringing a smile to Jackson's eyes.

 **"** **I am the shadow, and the smoke in your eyes,  
** **I am the ghost, that hides in the night."**

Jesse practically sprinted from his entrance tunnel to the tune of Shinedown's "Diamond Eyes", smiling and waving as he soaked in the energy of the crowd and added it to his own, truly playing to the cheers with a smile on his face. Rose cast a glance in Jackson's direction, noting the smile on his face.

"I'm guessing you had a hand in picking that theme? Because I know his original theme was Devil Went Down to Georgia..."

Jackson smirked and glanced around the room.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. Though I will admit a more high-energy theme fits him more than a young man sawing on a fiddle, no matter how hot it's played." Jackson returned his gaze to the TV as Jesse's opponent made his entrance, a single phrase coming through the loudspeakers.

**"Survive... If I Let You."**

Harry Slash & The Slashtones signaled the arrival of North Academy's Savage Siberian Machine known as Czar, their song "Survive (If I Let You)" was an apt description of the attitude that Czar exuded on a daily basis, looking down on anyone he deemed weaker than himself. In many ways he was a lot like Chazz Princeton, which explained why Czar and Chazz had become fast friends since the latter had showed up and started taking over the campus.

"Jesse won't have it too easy against Czar's Metalmorph deck." Rose muttered, chewing her lip as she watched Jesse and Czar shuffle each other's decks. Jackson smiled across the room at Rose and chuckled.

"Don't tell me you've lost faith in your boyfriend..." Jackson left the question hanging in the air, watching as Rose blushed furiously and hid herself behind her water bottle. A futile attempt, but one Jackson couldn't help but find comically adorable.

"One, Jesse's not my boyfriend. We're just friends." Rose squeaked out, making Jackson roll his eyes.

"If you think you're as good a liar as you are a duelist, you're greatly overestimating your skills at deception. Put simply, you're a terrible liar."

Rose went silent, refusing to admit the obvious to Jackson as the duel began, Czar taking the first move. He started strong enough, Discarding Zoa to activate Cost Down, then immediately resurrecting it with Monster Reborn and summoning Ushi Oni without tributes thanks to Cost Down. It was obvious that the two cards he set next were both Metalmorph. Jesse certainly had his work cut out for him, but it was nothing that Jesse hadn't overpowered before.

Jackson spared a glance at Rose, smirking at her attention solidly locked on the screen as Jesse drew his starting card. Jackson knew his Jesse and his dueling style well enough, so when Jesse activated Crystal Tree on his first turn, Jackson knew they were in for a show. Jackson smiled even more broadly as Jesse activated Crystal Bond, adding one Crystal Beast to his hand and turning Amber Mammoth into a Continuous Spell Card on his field.

"Rose, I think Jesse's about to pull off an OTK." Jackson smiles as Rose immediately leans forward. Jackson almost wished he had a bowl of popcorn for this match...

Jesse's next two cards immediately proved Jackson correct. Jesse summoned Sapphire Pegasus, immediately placing Topaz Tiger into his Spell and Trap zone. With the requirements fulfilled, Jesse activated Crystal Tree's effect, destroying it to place Amethyst Cat and Cobalt Eagle into the Spell and Trap zones, both from his deck. With just two cards from his opening hand, Jesse had everything he needed to end Czar in brilliant fashion. All that was left was...

"I activate Crystal Abundance!" Jesse cried out, happy as can be as his Spell destroyed everything on the field.

"And now," Jackson smiled at Rose, "Since four of Czar's cards were destroyed by Crystal Abundance..."

Rose shot up from her seat and cheered before dashing out of the room and towards the arena, arriving just as Jesse Special Summoned four Crystal Beasts from his Graveyard thanks to the second effect of Crystal Abundance. With Sapphire Pegasus, Amber Mammoth, Topaz Tiger, and Cobalt Eagle on his field, their combined ATK totaling 6500 and nothing standing before them, Jesse let his beasts loose. If Czar had any hope of victory, it vanished right before his eyes along with every last Lifepoint he had.

Jesse extatically lept into the air, smiling as Diamond Eyes began playing once again. Rose rushed out from the entrance tunnel and lept into Jesse's arms, hugging him tightly around his neck as he spun her around. Jackson looked on from his locker room, watching the broadcast with a smile.

"Yeah, definitely not boyfriend-girlfriend." Jackson smiled as he fit his jet black Duel Disk onto his arm, preparing for his own upcoming battle.

**XxXxXxX**

It was now Jackson's turn on stage, and he had a small surprise in store for Foster to boot. This was one on-screen duel he was actually looking forward to. Well, the entrance, at least. After slipping on his customary black long coat, Jackson headed towards his entrance tunnel and waited for Foster to make the introductions. Knowing Foster, he wouldn't be waiting long.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," Foster began not long after Jackson had taken position in the Red Tunnel, "the following duel is your penultimate Main Event of the evening!" Foster paused and smiled as the arena went dark, a countdown timer appearing on the main screen above the Blue Tunnel. Counting down from ten, with a tone being played with each digit flashing on screen. As the counter hit one, a voice broke through the speakers.

**"ONE, BREAK THE WALL DOWN!"**

A single spotlight shown on a figure standing with his back to the arena with his arms outstretched, the young man's blond hair in a loose ponytail whipped sideways as he turned around and fistpumped slightly in his leather jacket and jeans. Foster didn't miss a beat in his commentary, picking up immediately as Jericho made his way to the dueling platform, the young duelist rocking along to his own music.

"Introducing first, from central Canada, currently ranked at 48, Joshua Jericho!"

Jericho was all smiles as he stepped up to the platform, each step exuding a confidence the young man seemingly lost after his duel with Chazz the day prior.

"And introducing his opponent..." Foster paused again, expecting to hear the beginnings of Voices. It wasn't until an electric guitar started playing in concert with violins came through the speakers that Jackson's new entrance music was revealed.

 **"ADRENALINE, IN MY SOUL** **  
EVERY THOUGHT, OUT OF CONTROL  
DO IT ALL TO GET THEM OFF THEIR FEET."**

Jackson smiled as he exited the Red Tunnel to a massive applause, walking in time to Downstait's "Kingdom". The theme fit the moment. After all, a certain member of the Rhodes Family wasn't the only one aiming for a revolution. That, and the look on Foster's face was well worth it, the headmaster continuing his commentary while trying, and slightly failing, to keep his irritation in check.

"A-and his opponent, currently tied for the top spot in North Academy, the Undefeated Dragon Lord, Jackson Corvus!" As Foster finished and Jackson stepped onto the platform, he wished both duelists luck and headed to his seat in the front row, a small knowing smirk on his face.

Jackson and Jericho both stepped up to the small platform rising out of the center of the dueling field and placed their decks atop it, each duelist taking his opponent's deck and shuffling it thoroughly.

"Gotta admit I'm surprised to see you here Jericho." Jackson's tone was cordial, if a bit curious. "Did you request to be my final opponent?"

"Nope, though just sharing a stage with you has me almost too hyped. Foster set this up. He called me after my match with Chazz and said I'd be put right into the Snow Caps if I beat you." Jericho smirked before scratching his head and setting Jackson's deck down and cutting it. "With that on the table, there's no way I'm going to give any less than 100%."

"I'd expect nothing less, Jericho. Just be warned, this time it's not gonna be a trumpet that makes the Walls of Jericho crumble." Jackson smiled, returning Jericho's deck to him. "This time, my Dragons will be the cause."

Both young men shook hands and headed to their respective sides of the field, activating their duel disks and nodding to each other. All that remained before the match got started was one simultaneous cry between the two duelists...

" **DUEL!"**

Jackson Corvus: 4000 LP

Joshua Jericho: 4000 LP

"The challenger takes the first turn, right? I draw!" Jericho says as Jackson nods an affirmative. "Let's begin with Terraforming, shall we? With this, I'll be adding a Field Spell from my Deck to my Hand, and why waste time waiting when I can just activate it now? I activate Mausoleum of the Emperor!"

Jackson cocked an eyebrow as the arena faded away, replaced by a yellow stone walkway with an army of terracotta soldier statues beneath it. The walkway bridged the chamber holding the sleeping stone army, stopping behind Jericho with a tall stone staircase leading to twin stone obelisks and a single burning urn between them in memory of the emperor entombed within the massive structure. Jackson immediately recognized the inspiration for the structure as being the tomb of the First Qin Emperor.

"This building is full of ancient stone soldiers, eager to serve their master." Jericho smiles as he pulls another card from his hand. "They give their souls willingly to strengthen their master's army... With Mausoleum's effect, I can pay 1000 LP, I can use two of the statues below as sacrifices for a Tribute Summon!"

Jericho smiled and raised his selected card as two of the millions of terracotta soldiers rose to be even with the stone bridge. They promptly shattered as Jericho slapped his monster onto the field.

Jericho: 4000 LP - 1000 = **3000 LP**

"GUARDIAN OF THE PYRAMID OF LIGHT, TAKE HUMANOID FORM AND DEVASTATE MY ENEMIES! RISE! ANDRO SPHINX!" Jericho roars, a bipedal humanoid lion rising from a column of light where the two soldier statues had been. The beastly creature had a flowing mane of blond hair, blue and white armor in the style of a roman tunic, and spikes protruding from his shoulders and knees.

Andro Sphinx:  
LIGHT / LEVEL 10 / BEAST / 3000 ATK / 2500 DEF

A chorus of gasps and shocked murmurs spread through the crowd as Jericho smiled with his monster. One of the legendary Sphinx series, the monster on the field was impossibly rare and powerful. So rare, in fact, that no duelist except for one had ever played against them except for the King of Games Yugi Muto himself. Jackson would have been intimidated, were it not for the purple manicure job the beast had on his nails.

"How did you get such a rare monster?" Jackson asked as Andro snorted, steam visible from his nostrils as he leveled his gaze on his much smaller target.

"I got lucky with a few packs when I was a kid." Jericho explained with a smirk. "I just didn't have the rest of the cards to finish the deck. But now that I have, I hope it lives up to your standards." Jericho smiled almost sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head. "You're kinda the gold standard around here with your perfect record and all..."

Jackson's eyes immediately darted towards Chazz, who was seated by Chancellor Foster. Though Chazz's loss against Rose just before Jackson's initial Pipebomb was a direct result of Jackson's distraction, and therefore expunged from Chazz's official record, the loss still existed in Chazz's mind, sticking out like a single hair out of place in the mirror. Jackson couldn't help but smile as Jericho continued his turn.

"I'll be setting twin facedowns, and that'll bring my turn to an end. You're up, Jackson!" Jericho smiled as he slotted two cards into his back row, Jackson drawing a sixth card after Jericho's cards appeared on the field.

"Alright then, my go!" Jackson scans his hand before surveying Jericho's field again.

 _"Alright, a beatstick, two facedowns, and a field spell,"_ Jackson thought to himself _"Pretty safe to say this new deck is geared toward high-level summons in a single turn, especially with Mausoleum..."_

"If you start strong, I gotta start stronger!" Jackson calls out, pulling a card from his hand and slotting it into his Spell and Trap zone. "I'll open with the Continuous Spell Ruins of the Divine Dragon Lords!"

As Jackson's card rose on the field, the ruins of a one-great temple appeared behind Jackson and to his left. Shattered stone columns and broken walls surrounded a surprisingly still-intact statue depicting a smaller version of Felgrand Dragon. Though the remains of the building had fallen into shameful disrepair, the statue itself seemed to shine regardless, as if protected or cared for in spite of its age.

"Next on the docket, I summon Paladin of Felgrand!" Jackson says as a familiar blond-haired knight clad in royal blue and silver armor appeared before Jackson, kneeling to his summoner as if in an oath of honor before turning and kneeling with his blade before him.

Paladin of Felgrand:  
LIGHT / LEVEL 4 / WARRIOR / 1700 ATK / 300 DEF

"And it's when this knight is summoned I can equip him with with a level 7 or 8 Dragon from my Deck. Felgrand Dragon, Bless this knight with your protection!"

At Jackson's order, a golden ghostly dragon wrapped its wings around his chosen paladin, the knight's armor in turn turning a bright gold as he stood with his blade aimed at Jericho.

"While under the protection of a Dragon's spirit, Paladin of Felgrand is unaffected by your monsters' effects, but that doesn't really apply at this point because I'm activating the effect of Ruins of the Divine Dragon Lords! By sending one face-up card on my field to the graveyard, I can Special Summon one Dragon Lord Token! So, Felgrand Dragon, allow your essence to be immortalized!"

Jackson's paladin looked up as his armor began returning to its original color, a stone effigy of Felgrand Dragon identical to the one in the shrine appearing at his side.

Dragon Lord Token:  
LIGHT / LEVEL 1 / DRAGON / 0 ATK / 0 DEF

"But I'm not stopping there! Paladin! It's time, my friend. By offering himself and another face-up monster I control as a tribute, I can Special Summon one level 7 or 8 Dragon from my Graveyard!"

For Paladin of Felgrand's final act, he encapsulated himself and the Dragon Lord Token in a blinding flash of golden light. Jackson smiled as he held a single card aloft. As Jackson sets the card into his disk, a draconic roar rumbles through the arena. Raising his disk high, Jackson roars to the heavens.

"GUILDED WINGS OF ANCIENT POWER CARRY THIS PROTECTOR OF THE LIGHT! RISE FROM THE ASHES AND CONQUER THE DARKNESS AND THOSE WHO SERVE IT! ROAR AND TAKE FLIGHT! FELGRAND DRAGON!"

A golden bolt of lightning shoots high from Jackson's Graveyard, arcing through the air and striking Jackson's field before taking the physical form of a brilliant Dragon with scales the color of old gold. His roar spoke of an ancient power even fiercer than the fire in his eyes.

Felgrand Dragon:  
LIGHT / LEVEL 8 / DRAGON / 2800 ATK / 2800 DEF

Jericho shuddered slightly at the sight of this Dragon, seeming to shrink under the Dragon's radiance. Jackson smirked at this, Felgrand roaring again in response as if sensing his opponent's fear.

"And if you're thinking your Andro Sphinx is strong enough to take my Dragon down, you're sorely mistaken. You see, when Felgrand is Special Summoned from the Graveyard, I can target one monster in my Graveyard and increase Felgrand's ATK by 200 times that target's level! Paladin! Come to the aide of your Lord! Sword of the Soul!"

Jackson held out his hand as Paladin of Felgrand's armor flew from the Graveyard and attached itself to Felgrand Dragon's torso, the Dragon unleashing another earth-shaking roar at his newfound power.

Felgrand Dragon:  
2800 ATK + (LEVEL 4 X 200) = **3200 ATK**

Jackson smiled as he leveled his hand at Andro Sphinx

"We're in the Battle Phase now! Felgrand, unleash your might on that false deity! WRATH OF AUREA DRACONIS!"

Felgrand Dragon opened his mouth, baring his fangs and charging a blast of brilliant white-hot flames before unleashing them at Andro Sphinx, only for the humanoid beast to vanish just as the flames were about to impact him. The missed shot instead exploded on one of the obelisks behind Jericho, obliterating the stone monument. Jackson's unspoken question was answered when the smoke and dust cleared, revealing one of Jericho's face-down cards.

"Sorry, Jackson," Jericho began, "But you triggered my Trap Card Beast Soul Swap! With this, I can return one Beast-Type monster from my field to my hand, then Special Summon a monster of the same level from my hand!" Jericho's snarky grin only broadened as he pulled a different card from his hand, speaking again as he laid the card onto his disk.

"SACRED PYRAMID OF LIGHT, SHADOW THE TRUTH BEHIND YOUR RIDDLES AND CALL FORTH A GUARDIAN TO DEFEND YOUR SECRETS! WHISPER THE ANSWERS TO ME AS I CALL FORTH YOUR TRUE PROTECTOR! I SPECIAL SUMMON SPHINX TELEIA!"

Jericho grins broadly as a white portal opens behind him, a lioness pawing forward through it with the head of a beautiful woman bearing crimson hair, small wings on its back, and fur as grey as a dense storm cloud. Teleia promptly sat before Jericho and licked her paws, the show if disinterest slightly rattling the broken chains attached to the collar around her neck.

Sphinx Teleia:  
LIGHT / LEVEL 10 / BEAST / 2500 ATK / 3000 DEF

Another chorus of gasps and surprised murmurs rushes through the crowd at the second of the impossibly rare Sphinx monsters being summoned. Even Jackson was surprised, but more at the tactics Jericho utilized to get her out. He couldn't help but smile.

"A 'Relief Escape'. Normally with something like that a Replay would have happened, but since the number of monsters has stayed the same, and the attack target is gone, the attack is negated." Jackson's smile grew even broader. Not only was he facing off against a legendary set of monsters, but Jericho was actually putting up a fight. As he continued his turn, Jackson began to think that he just might have fun with this duel.

"Alright, I guess the only thing left to do is set two cards and end my turn. Show me what you can do, Jericho!"

Jericho nodded and drew to start his turn.

"For starters, I activate Pyramid of Light!" Jericho's roar turned his last set card face-up, revealing a golden pyramid seeming to glow with the radiance of the sun itself. "Now with that out," Jericho continued, smiling as he pulled a card from his hand I can pay 500 Lifepoints to Special Summon Andro Sphinx from my hand!"

Jericho: 3000 LP - 500 = **2500 LP**

Jericho grinned, gleefully paying the cost as the pyramid on his field began to glow as a familiar humanoid lion pulls himself from within the structure. Andro roared proudly, in spite of the dragon before him.

Andro Sphinx:  
LIGHT / LEVEL 10 / BEAST / 3000 ATK / 2500 DEF

"I'll toss out a facedown card, and I'll end my turn." Jericho smiled as he differed, a quizzical look on Jackson's face as he drew his next card.

 _"Why would you go and do that..."_ Jackson thought to himself, studying his opponent's field before looking at his hand. _"An Attack Mode monster with less ATK than mine, and a single facedown? I smell a trap..."_

"I'll start off with Dragon Shrine!" Jackson calls out while slotting the card into his Duel Disk. "With this, I can send one Dragon from my Deck to my Graveyard. Then, if the Dragon I sent was a Normal, I can send another Dragon! So, I'll be sending the Gemini Monster Darkstorm Dragon, who's treated as a Normal Monster in the Graveyard, and my second Dragon will be White Night Dragon!" Jackson pulls both cards from his Deck, sending both to the Graveyard as he eyes Jericho's solitary facedown card.

"Next, I activate Return of the Dragon Lords! Now I can Special Summon one level 7 or 8 Dragon from my Graveyard. So, RISE! WHITE NIGHT DRAGON!"

A blizzard wind began to howl from behind Jackson, carrying with it a torrent of snow and ice. The particles began slowly coalescing into a deep blue dragon made entirely of the purest ice. The Dragon roared powerfully, sending a cold chill down Jericho's spine.

White Night Dragon:  
WATER / LEVEL 8 / DRAGON / 3000 ATK / 2500 ATK

"Battle Phase!" Jackson smiled up at his gilded Ace. "Let's try this again, shall we? Felgrand Dragon! Attack Andro Spinx! WRATH OF AUREA DRACONIS!"

Felgrand again charged another shot of white-gold flames, unleashing them at Andro Sphinx.

"Not so fast, Jackson! Reverse Card Open! Negate Attack!" Jericho's yell stopped the attack cold as his Trap Card flipped up, sucking the scalding flames into a vortex and banishing them from existence. Jericho smiled proudly, now having dodged two attacks from the Undefeated Dragon Lord. "I told you before we started," Jericho said with his eyes locked on Jackson's. "There's no way I'm going to give you anything less than my all. I'm not gonna let you harm me, or my Sphinxes."

Jackson nodded, a small smile creeping across his face. It was a smile his friends back in the dressing room recognized immediately. Jackson was enjoying this duel...

"Well, since I've nothing left on my to-do list right now," Jackson smiled back at Jericho and nodded. "Guess that means you're up. Show me what 100% looks like, Jericho!"

"Alright," Jericho smirked as he drew to begin his turn. "But I don't think you're gonna like it. I activate Dark Hole!"

Jackson's eyes widened, a cold shiver sneaking up his spine. Dark Hole? Destroying all monsters on the field, including Teleia and Andro? Only one thing could result from such a move...

"Jericho! Before you nuke everything," Jackson says as he pulls a specific Spell Card from his Graveyard. "I chain with the second effect of Return of the Dragon Lords! By banishing this card from my Graveyard, I can protect my Dragons from being destroyed!"

"Oh, that's fine," Jericho smirks. "It's not _your_ monsters I'm interested in. You see, when both Andro Sphinx and Sphinx Teleia on my field are destroyed, at the cost of 500LP, I can Special Summon the greatest Sphinx of them all..."

Jackson's suspicions were confirmed in that moment as Andro Sphinx and Sphinx Teleia were sucked into the singularity of Dark Hole and destroyed. With its two protectors gone, the Pyramid of Light began glowing brighter than ever, a call to its final warrior. Jericho smiled as his hand raised, a single card clutched within.

Joshua Jericho: 2500 LP - 500 = **2000 LP**

"The guardians have fallen, but from their departed souls forms a new terror! BESTOW THE OVERPOWERING GLORY OF THE PYRAMID OF LIGHT UPON THE VICTORY TO COME! DESCEND FROM THE ANCIENT HEAVENS! COME TO ME! THEINEN, THE GREAT SPHINX!" Jericho's battle cry was echoed by a roar of biblical proportions as a quadrupedal centaur-like beast dropped from the heavens with a deafening impact. The beast, with the body of a white horse, the muscled torso of a humanoid, and the head of a lion, towered over all else as it stood behind Jericho.

Theinen, The Great Sphinx:  
LIGHT / LEVEL 10 / BEAST / 3500 ATK / 3000 DEF

Without warning, Theinen roared again, his muscles bulging as his strength increased to a level of power not seen since the Old Testament.

Theinen, The Great Sphinx:  
3500 ATK + 3000 = **6500 ATK**

Joshua Jericho: 2000 LP - 500 = **1500 LP**

"When Theinen, The Great Sphinx is summoned," Jericho grinned, straightening up as his tone became slightly more haughty, "I can pay a further 500 LP to boost his ATK by 3000. Now, BATTLE PHASE! THEINEN, ATTACK WHITE NIGHT DRAGON! ROAR OF THE SPHINX!"

Jackson covered his ears as Theinen roared with an awe-inspiring might, shattering his target without mercy and sending the shards down towards Jackson as his Dragon crumbled before his eyes.

Jackson Corvus: 4000 LP - (6500-3000) = **500 LP**

As the pieces that made the formerly frozen Dragon fell, each one landing on Jackson, Jericho chuckled. The soft chuckle was mirrored by Chancellor Foster.

"This is what you get when you cross the boss, Jackie." Jericho said with a smirk as he ended his turn.

"Cross the..." Jackson glared up at Jericho, then to Foster, then back at his opponent. "Foster. He put you up to this."

"It's about time you figured it out. Foster saw the potential in me, knew I could be the one to dethrone you."

 _"Dethrone?_ " Jackson thought, glaring at Jericho as he drew his next card. _"It's going to take a lot more than a simple sellout and heel turn to take me down._ "

"Looks like I have no choice. I'll play Trade-In! By discarding one Level 8 Dragon in my hand, I can draw two cards from my Deck!" Jackson looked at his two new cards, deflating slightly as his voice lowers. "With... with that done... I'll turn Felgrand Dragon into Defense Mode," Jackson said, the golden-scaled dragon landing behind his Duelist and covering himself with his wings. "And then I'll summon Kidmodo Dragon in Defense Mode." At Jackson's word, a small orange-staled and yellow-bellied baby dragon appeared on Jackson's field, curling itself into a ball as it sought even the smallest form of protection against what was to come.

Kidmodo Dragon:  
EARTH / LEVEL 3 / DRAGON / 100 ATK / 200 DEF

"End of turn." Jackson shuddered, closing his eyes as he spoke the words. There was nothing else he could do. Worst of all, both Jericho and Foster knew it.

"That's it? That's your turn?! PATHETIC!" Jericho's taunts stung, but only enraged Jackson further. "With my turn, I'll be paying 1000 LP to use two more of the terracotta soldiers below us as tributes to summon Beast King Barbaros!" Jericho smirked as two more stone soldiers rose from the pit below, shattering as they gave their essence as a sacrifice for another powerful monster: another centaur-esque beast with the head of a lion and wielding a large javelin and forearm-mounted shield.

Beast King Barbaros:  
EARTH / LEVEL 8 / BEAST-WARIOR / 3000 ATK / 1200 DEF

Joshua Jericho: 1500 LP - 1000 = **500 LP**

Jericho's grin couldn't get any broader as he readied his troops for their assault. "Battle Phase! Barbaros, attack Felgrand Dragon! Piercing Spiral!" Jericho's Beast King lept skyward and impaled Felgrand Dragon, leaving the once-great Dragon to shatter into golden pixels. Jackson shielded his eyes from the blast, not only to protect himself, but to spare himself the sight of one of his prized Dragons being destroyed so shamefully. Jericho aimed a finger at Jackson's last monster as he continued. "Theinen! Wipe that last pathetic monster from the field! ROAR OF THE SPHINX!"

Jackson once again covered his ears and his eyes from the resulting explosion, leaving Kidmodo Dragon dead on the platform. Foster's cocky smile was almost palpable, as was Jericho's arrogance.

"See what playing rebel gets yo-"

"WILL YOU SHUT UP!?" Jackson barked, forcing Jericho silent. "Don't get cocky just because you've got a powerful benefactor! 'Don't cross the Boss'? Are you kidding me? You didn't pull a single one of those cards, Foster gave you the entire deck!" Jackson was irate, and Jericho's paling expression told him that he was dead on. "I hope your thirty pieces of silver were worth it, Jericho, because when I'm done taking a pound of flesh from you, you'll wish you had a soul left to salvage after your deal with the devil."

Jericho smirked and chuckled at Jackson's words. "Big talk for someone with an empty field..."

Jackson grinned, then pitched skyward and roared, his roar echoed throughout the arena as it took on a more primal, animalistic tone that was clearly not Jackson's own. The roar that took over was the roar of Kidmodo Dragon himself, a last gasp of energy to plead for someone to avenge his death.

"Killing Kidmodo Dragon was your worst mistake. Because when Kidmodo is sent to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon one Dragon from my hand! SEIZE VENGEANCE FOR THE FALLEN! TAKE FLIGHT AND WEAPONIZE THE DARKNESS WITHIN! I SPECIAL SUMMON RED-EYES DARKNESS METAL DRAGON!" Jackson's cry was finalized when a black and red metallic Dragon appeared in the oculus above, screeching downward towards the field. The dragon landed in an explosion of black flames, his wings spread wide and his red eyes angrily eyeing Jericho.

Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon:  
DARK / LEVEL 10 / DRAGON / 2800 ATK / 2400 DEF

"And now it's my turn!" Jackson roared, drawing a card. "The LAST turn, Jericho! I activate Call of the Haunted!" Jackson's Trap Card turned upwards and shone brightly, a familiar dark gold Dragon soon flying from within the card itself.

"GUILDED WINGS OF ANCIENT POWER CARRY THIS PROTECTOR OF THE LIGHT! RISE FROM THE ASHES AND CONQUER THE DARKNESS AND THOSE WHO SERVE IT! ROAR AND TAKE FLIGHT ONCE MORE! WITH CALL OF THE HAUNTED, I RESURRECT FELGRAND DRAGON!"

Felgrand Dragon roared to life, shining like a deity coming to reap vengeance.

Felgrand Dragon:  
LIGHT / LEVEL 8 / DRAGON / 2800 ATK / 2800 DEF

"But, as you know, Felgrand gains power from the souls of the departed! White Night Dragon! Lend us your strength!" Jackson smiled as Felgrand's armor was slowly frozen over with pure blue ice, the Dragon roaring skyward as his power grew.

Felgrand Dragon:  
2800 ATK + (LEVEL 8 x 200) = **4400 ATK**

Jericho shivered slightly, Jackson's Dragon easily strong enough to overpower his Super Ace Theinen. A realization shocked him when he saw Jackson's smirk. The Undefeated Dragon Lord wasn't done.

"Now I'll be using Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon's effect, Red-Eyes Resurrection! With it, I can Special Summon one Dragon from my Graveyard! Even a handshake with the devil himself won't spare you from divine retribution..."

Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon roared and spread his wings, opening a black portal behind himself. A bright beam of golden light burst through seconds later and formed a column behind Jackson as he held a single card high, letting his voice carry what sounded like a prayer to a divine being above. "LET THE LIGHT OF THE HEAVENS SHINE DOWN ON THOSE WHO SEEK YOUR MERCY! THE RAYS OF JUDGEMENT SMITE THOSE WHO OPPOSE YOUR LAW! ROAR... ROAR AND TAKE FLIGHT! DIVINE DRAGON LORD FELGRAND!"

Jackson's prayer was answered as the deity he called broke through the column of heavenly light. Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand called out to her brethren gathered at her side, a call that was returned by the two Dragons on Jackson's field. She was ready for war.

Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand:  
LIGHT / LEVEL 8 / DRAGON / 2800 ATK / 2800 DEF

"Remember what I said about divine retribution, Jericho?" Jackson smiled and held his hand out toward Lord Felgrand. "It's time you see just what the powers that be have in store for you! Lord Felgrand! Divine Law!"

Lord Felgrand nodded as her wings spread wide and she glared at Theinen, roaring as the Great Sphinx turned into beams of light and scattered towards her.

"When Lord Felgrand is Special Summoned from the Graveyard," Jackson explains with a smile, "she banishes one monster you control or is in your Graveyard, then she grows stronger by 100 ATK times the level of the monster she banished!"

Jericho shuddered as the math ran through his head. "Wait, since Theinen was a level 10, that means..."

"Nothing too good for you..." Jackson finished Jericho's statement for him as Theinen vanished.

Divine Dragon Lord Felgrand:  
2800 ATK + (100 x 10) = **3,800 ATK**

"My final card!" Jackson slots the last card in his hand, the one he drew at the beginning of this turn.

"Wha... SMASHING GROUND!?" Jericho's jaw hit the floor as a sinkhole opened beneath his Beast King, swallowing his monster whole and leaving him completely defenseless. No back row, no wall to protect him.

"End of the line, Jericho." Jackson snarled. "Not only have you disgraced yourself by selling out, but you've also managed to piss of my Dragons. Battle Phase! Triple Direct Attack! Draconic Trivium!"

All three of Jackson's Dragons unleashed their combined rage against Jericho, the three beams of energy combining into one and striking the young Duelist square in the chest. The resulting shockwave knocked Jericho off his feet, forcing him to watch as the last vestiges of his Lifepoints drained away.

Joshua Jericho: 500 LP - 11,000 = **0 LP**

Jackson sighed as he packed away his cards, shaking his head as Downstait played over the arena's speakers. The cheers from the crowd didn't even register in his mind. His only thoughts were of leaving North Academy, especially if the Headmaster would stoop as low as to hire an assassin to try and take him out.

As Jackson left victorious and with little fanfare, the headmaster in question couldn't have been more irate. Foster snarled as he marched up to Jericho, who was just barely getting back to his feet.

"I'm sorry, Chancellor Foster," Jericho began, "I'm sorry I-"

"Not yet you're not!" Foster cut Jericho off by grabbing his jacket collar. "You failed me. When I gave you the weapons to succeed! You're worthless! As a Duelist and as a student!" Foster ripped Jericho's Duel disk off the student's arm and reclaimed the Sphinx deck he'd given Jericho the night before, then discarded the Disk as if it were little more than garbage to be disposed of. Foster glared at Jericho, eyeing him with much the same level of contempt he'd shone the student's Duel Disk. "Joshua Jericho, YOU'RE EXPELLED!"

A chorus of boos and jeers followed Foster as he stormed from the arena without a care that Jericho was on his knees in the area, the young man's dreams of becoming a pro duelist crushed in an instant all because he allied himself with the wrong person.

* * *

Later that night, Jackson had returned to his cabin in the Snow Caps, fully aware that it would be among the last that he would spend in the dingy wooden structure. He busied himself with packing up his belongings with the help of Jesse and Rose, the latter of whom had already secured her own effects for transport to Duel Academy after the School Duel was over.

Neither Jesse nor Rose thought it wise to bring up the match that Jackson had just participated in, especially considering the fallout with Foster effectively assaulting one of his own students and expelling him.

"So..." Jesse muttered, finally deciding to break the silence. "Have you given any thought to who we might be facing on Sunday?"

"Well, not exactly." Jackson shrugged as he folded up his pro-wrestling merch shirts, setting them in a box all to themselves. "I just know who I hope it _won't_ be."

"Oh? Is the great Dragon Lord afraid of someone?" Rose snickered softly as she spun a label gun around her finger like a wild west gunslinger. Jackson returned her sarcasm with a sly look.

"Not afraid of them, but afraid of what it will mean if I _beat_ them. If Jesse and I are facing off against Yuki and Yumei Hyoudou, then we're going to be fighting an uphill battle right from the start. Both of them are undefeated at Duel Academy, in singles and tag-team matches."

"And if- sorry, _when_ we win," Jesse corrected himself, "you're worried what will happen to their undefeated streaks."

Jackson nods, sealing his box of clothes and moving to pack away his cooking supplies and self-made recipe books. "Hit the nail on the head, Jess. If I'm going to be involved in the end of an era, especially against one of those two, I'd rather it be one-on-one. That way, no matter who comes out on top, there's no doubt at all who won and why."

Jesse and Rose cast each other a grin, both of them expecting as much from their friend. All Jackson wanted was a true challenge, to feel alive when he drew a card. That fact left a singular question in Jesse's mind, one that he kept to himself until the packing was complete and he and Rose were set to leave. As he was departing, letting Rose leave first, Jesse cast a glance back at Jackson.

"Have you given any thought to what will happen after the School Duel?" Jesse asked Jackson as the latter had just sat down at his PC, apparently preparing to watch either his favorite crime drama or some recent duels. "Where will you go? What'll you do? Skills like yours are too good to waste, so if you even think about quitting I'll hunt you down and give you a good old fashioned Smackdown from the South."

Jackson couldn't help but crack up as he looked up at his closest friend in the school.

"Jess, the day I stop dueling is the day the world ends. I'll thing of something."

Jesse nodded, satisfied with his friend's answer as he departed. Just as the door closed, a tone sounded from Jackson's computer. Jackson looked at his notifications to find a new email in his inbox, sent from none other than Duel Academy's Chancellor Sheppard. Jackson's eyes widened when he read the name, and his curiosity spiked as he read the subject line aloud.

"Are you Tough Enough to be All Elite?" The question brought a smile to Jackson's face. "Yes, I believe I am..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, questions and comments are welcome! What did you think? Thanks for reading, and I'll see you next time!


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